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LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UN  I  VERSITY 
OF  I  LLI  NOI5 


COLLEGE:  OF 
ENGINEERING 


From  the  lihrartj  of 


JOHN  AUGUSTUS 
OCKERSON 

CLASS  Of  1  8  7  3 


Presented  .Mail  1,1024 
btj  fiisWidow  CLARA 
SHACKEIPORD  OCKtRSON 


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RECLAMATION  SERVICE.U.S.G.S. 

RELIEF  MAP  OF  THE 

LOWER  COLORADO  RIVER 

SHOWING  IRRIGABLE  LANDS 

- —IN  THE - 

UNITED  STATES  &  MEXICO. 


JANUARY  1905 

Ho»ixontai  Scale  of  Miles 


Vertical  Scale  to  iOO'  Else. .  1000' to  1  Inch 
Prepared  updv  liutiilSUl  df  J  B  L(ppir>c°i£,  Sufjir.  p-t  Cng  - 
tiy  J.  6  Print.*,  festf  *n£i!£}.  Qdhf-  * 


$  C  u  L  r  O  F 

|  CALIFORNIA 

:K  v  «  -  - 


LARGEST  IRRIGATED  COUNTRY  in  the  WORLI 


MAP  OF  SOUTHERN  CALIFORNIA,  SHOWING  THE  LOCATION  OF  THE  IMPERIAL JVALLEA  AND 
ITS  RELATION  TO  OTHER  SECTIONS  OF  THIS  GREAT  SOUTHWEST 


IMPERIAL  VALUEV 


Is  located  in  Imperial  County,  Southern  California,  adjoining  the  internatioi 
boundary  line  on  the  south,  and  extending  east  of  the  San  Jacinto  or  coast  range 
mountains  to  the  great  Colorado  river,  from  which  the  valley  obtains  its  inexhausti 
supply  of  water  for  irrigating  and  other  purposes.  What  will  interest  the  hor 
seekers  and  the  farmers  most,  is  the  fertile  land  at  reasonable  prices  and  easy  terr 
in  an  irrigated  section  like  this,  with  plenty  of  water,  near-by! markets  and  gt 
transportation  facilities,  all  of  which  can  be  had  in  the  Imperial -5' Valley.  Co 
and  see. 

For  further  information  apply  to  or  address, 

I.  L.  WILSON 


OFFICE,  OPPOSITE  IMPERIAL  HOTEL 


Imperial, 


Californ 


Report  on 
the 


Protection  of  Lands  and  Property 
In  the  Imperial  Valley 
California 


DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR 


REPORT  OF 

J.  A.  OCKERSON,  CONSULTING  ENGINEER 

ON 

SURVEYS  AND  INVESTIGATIONS  ALONG  THE  LOWER  COLORADO 

RIVER  IN  MEXICO. 

WORKS  RECOMMENDED 
for  the 

PROTECTION  OF  LANDS  AND  PROPERTY  IN  IMPERIAL  VALLEY, 

CALIFORNIA* 


October  4,  19^0. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR 


PROTECTING  LANDS  AND  PROPERTY 
IMPERIAL  VALLEY  ,  CAL. 


Yuma,  Arizona, 

October  4,  1910. 


Sir:- 


I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report, 


covering  my  investigations  of  the  lower  Colorado  river  and 


its  delta,  together  with  a  project  for  the  control  of  that 
stream,  in  a  manner  that  will  protect  the  lands  and  property 
in  Imperial  Valley,  Cal. 

On  July  19th,  1910,  the  following  telegram  was 


received : 


»^ashinvton,  D.C. 


«J.  A.  OcKerson,  care  Mississippi  River 
Commission,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

The  President  has  designated  yourself  Engineer 
to  investigate  Imperial  Valley  situation  on 
the  Colorado  river  near  boundary  between 
United  States  and  Mexico  for  which  Congress 
recently  appropriated  one  million  dollars. 
Please  report  to  Interior  Department  here 
for  conference  prompt  action  necessary. 


50-1675 


Frank;  Pierce, 

Acting  Secretary." 


. 


•+  •  ; '  ' 


. 

.  . 

-  ' 

. 

it  -  '  ■ ' 


•4^- 


On  the  evening  of  July  19th,  the  writer  left  'H* 


Louis,  and  reported  to  the  Interior  Department  on  the  morning 
of  July  21st.  After  a  general  conference,  as  to  the  scope 
of  investigations  to  be  made  and  the  character  of  work  to  be 
done,  the  results  were  embodied  in  the  following  letter  of 
instructions  : 


DEPARTMENT  OP  THE  INTERIOR* 


••Washington,  B.O.  July  22 ,  1910, 


J.  A.  Ockers on,  Esq*, 
Washington,  D*C. 


Sir:- 

By  Joint  Resolution  of  Congress,  approved  June  25, 
1910,  it  was  provided^ 

“That  the  sum  of  one  million  dollars,  or  so  much 
thereof  as  may  be  necessary,  is  hereby  appropriated,  out  of 
any  money  in  the  Treasury  not  otherwise  appropriated,  to  be 
expended  by  the  President,  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  the 
lands  and  property  in  the  Imperial  valley  and  elsewhere  along 
the  Colorado  riyer,  within  the  limits  of  the  United  states,  and 
the  President  is  authorized  to  expend  any  portion  of  such  money 
within  the  limits  of  the  Republic  of  Mexico,  as  he  may  d«em  pro¬ 
per,  In  accordance  with  such  agreements ,  for  the  purpose,  a3  he 
may  make  with  the  Republic  of  Mexico. 

On  July  a,  1910,  the  Acting  Secretary  of  the  Inter¬ 
ior  addressed  to  the  President  a  communication,  copy  of  which 
is  herewith  enclosed,  your  attention  being  particularly  directed 
to  that  paragraph  thereof,  reading  as  follows: 

“The  ascertainment  of  what  is  necessary  to  be  done 
for  the  purpose  of  accomplishing  permanent  avoidanoe  of  these 
recurring  menaces  to  life  and  property  on  both  sides  of  the 
International  Boundary  Line  will  require  a  thorough  examination 
of  physical  conditions,  which,  to  be  effective,  should  have  the 
oo-operation  of  both  governments  and  will  consume  considerable 
time*  In  the  meantime,  Engineer  Hill  states  that,  unless 


■ 


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prompt  relief  is  afforded,  a  water  shortage,  if  rot  famine,  la 
probable  in  the  Imperial  Valley  within  the  next  two  months. 

In  a  country  where  the  heat  reaches  an  intensity  of 
120  degrees  and  even  higher,  the  great  loss  of  property  and  men¬ 
ace  to  both  animal  and  human  life,  which  may  ensue,  should  such 
a  catastrophe  occur,  renders  it  imperative  that  prompt  measures 
be  taken  toward  averting  the  same.  To  that  end,  I  respectfully 
recommend  that  you  designate  an  Engineer,  haying  familiarity 
with  problems  Involving  river  control,  to  proceed  immediately 
with  an  examination,  for  the  purpose  of  determining  whether  such 
emergency  exists,  and  if  so,  to  take  the  steps  necessary  to 
avoid  the  same.*1 

»You  have  been  employed  and  designated  by  the  President 
to  make  investigation  of  the  situation  referred  to  in  said  Joint 
Resolution  and  communication  ------ 

You  will  report  as  to  whether  the  existing  emergency 
is  such  as  to  require  immediate  action,  and,  if  so,  what  ia  nec¬ 
essary  to  be  done  to  accomplish  the  purposes  set  forth  in  said 
Joint  Resolution. 

Representations  that  the  situation  is  critical,  re¬ 
quires  that  you  should  proceed  with  the  utmost  dispatch  and 
make  the  report  required  as  to  the  present  conditions  and  im¬ 
mediate  necessities  by  wire. 

You  will  also,  in  this  connection,  make  appropriate 
examination  upon  the  ground  and  recommend  the  course,  which,  in 
your  opinion,  will  prevent  injury  and  destruction  of  property  in 
the  United  States,  through  recurrence  of  the  difficulties  which 
have  heretofore  from  time  to  time  arisen,  by  reason  of  the  unre¬ 
liability  of  the  Colorado  river  -  -  - 

For  any  service  or  information,  which  the  Department 
of  the  Interior,  or  any  of  its  Offices,  which  will  tend  to  facil¬ 
itate  your  labors,  you  will,  of  course,  not  hesitate  to  make  re¬ 
quisition. 

Very  respectfully , 

Prank  Pierce, 

Acting  Secretary. •« 


The  critical  conditions,  described,  in  paragraph  ?>  ard 
4,  of  letter  of  instructions,  lay  in  the  shortage  of  water  supply 
in  Imperial  Valley,  due  to  some  difficulty  in  the  intake  at  the 
river,  and  also  in  the  Imperial  canal,  below  the  headgate.  In 


order  to  get  the  earliest  practicable  information,  as  to  the  rel- 


net’s  vn'AiiifJi-m.'. 


»  ,  -  '  ■  ■  / 

.  • 

IQi: 


. 

A  4  /  *  1  i 

:  I 


t  •'■  *»»  | 

: _ 

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■: 

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■ 


4 


atiye  elevations  of  the  bed  of  the  river  and  bottom  of  Intake, 
the  sill  of  the  head  gates  and  bottom  of  the  canal,  I  wired  to 
the  Project  Engineer,  Mr.  F.  L.  Seilew,  at  Yuma ,  requesting  a 
survey,  covering  localities  named,  and  on  my  arrival  at  Yuma, 

July  70th ,  the  results  were  available  for  my  inspection. 

The  plats  showed  clearly  that  the  bed  of  the  riyer  was 
above  the  sill  of  the  head  gates,  and  lack  of  water  in  the  canal 
was  due  mainly  to  the  silting  up  of  both  the  intake  and  the  can¬ 
al.  (  See  plate  l* ) 

Two  courses  were  open  to  remedy  these  defects,  with 
proper  appliances,  the  simplest  plan  would  have  been  to  dredge 
out  the  intake.  Indeed,  this  should  have  been  done  immediately 
after  the  passage  of  the  summer  flood,  and  in  all  probability,  a 
disastrous  shortage  o°  water  would  have  been  averted.  Or,  the 
water  could  be  raised  to  such  an  extent,  by  means  of  a  submerged 
dam  just  below  the  intake,  as  to  fill  the  canal  without  dredging. 

The  California  Development  Company.  ^.H.  Kolabird, re¬ 


ceiver,  under  date  of  March  2,  1910,  secured  from  the  *ar  Depart- 


“ 


- 

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,•  ►  •  '  t  *1  ; 


5 


merit  a  waiver  of  objections  to  the  construction  of  a  temporary 
dam.  This  was  renewed  by  the  Department  July  20,  1910.  This 
structure  was  begun  in  February,  1910,  but  a  sudden  rise  in  the 
river  carried  away  the  work  that  had  been  done,  and  for  the  time 
being  it  beoame  unnecessary,  on  account  of  high  stage  of  river, 

or  until  the  season  of  Spring  floods  had  passed. 

< ' 

The  type  of  dam,  proposed  by  the  Company,  in  its  ap¬ 
plication  to  the  war  Department  for  a  permit  to  construct  the 
same  across  the  Colorado  river,  which  is  a  navigable  stream,  is 
shown  in  plate 

A  trestle  is  carried  across  the  river,  as  a  matter  of 
convenience,  as  there  is  no  floating  plant  on  the  river  available 
for  such  construction.  Then  the  bed  of  the  river  is  covered 
with  bundles  of  willow  fascines,  about  forty  feet  long,  and 
weighted  with  stone  and  successive  layers  used  until  the  neces¬ 
sary  height  is  reached.  This  makes  a  satisfactory  submerged 
temporary  dam  o*f  limited  height,  the  expectation  being  that  it 


would  be  carried  away  by  floods,  so  as  to  offer  no  hindrance  to 


6 


scour  of  bed  at  high  stages  of  river. 

After  the  Spring  floods  had  passed  and  low  stage  condi¬ 
tions  of  river  returned,  water  shortage  in  Imperial  Valley  again 
became  serious,  as  shown  by  the  following  tabulation  of  volume 
of  water  passing  the  headgates: 

The  difference  in  the  volume  passing  Hanlon's  head¬ 
ing  and  that  reaching  Imperial  Valley  represents  the  quantity 
diverted  to  irrigation  in  Mexico  and  losses  due  to  seepage  and 
evaporation. 


.  .  , 


< 


•  :  *< 


' 


' 


. 


. 


7 


STATEMENT  OF  THE  CALIFORNIA  DEVELOPMENT  CO. , 

showing  amount  of  water  entering  Concrete  Heading  and 
amount  delivered  to  the  Imperial  Valley,  through  the 
Imperial  Canal  System,  from  March  10th  to  September 

1st,  1910. 


HANLON  HEADING.  :  IMPERIAL  VALLEY. 

_n  1 ' 11  "  11 1  ■  ■  "  -r"  • 


March  10 

— 

1,300 

sec. 

ft. 

1,012 

sec . 

ft. 

11 

— 

1,330 

» 

ii 

:  1,115 

ti 

ti 

12 

— 

1,330 

»» 

ii 

1 ,225 

ii 

ii 

13 

— 

1,330 

it 

ii 

1,300 

ii 

ii 

• 

14 

— 

1,330 

ii 

ii 

1,325 

ii 

ii 

15 

— 

1,500 

♦f 

ii 

1,425 

ii 

ii 

16 

— 

1,500 

ti 

ti 

1,440 

ii 

ii 

17 

— 

1,490 

ii 

ii 

Max. 

1 ,480 

if 

ii 

Max. 

18 

— 

1,490 

ii 

ii 

1500 

1,482 

ii 

ii 

1482 

19 

— 

1 ,400 

ii 

ii 

Min. 

1 ,477 

ii 

ii 

Min. 

20 

— 

1,480 

ti 

ii 

1175 

1,475 

ii 

ii 

1012 

21 

— 

1,400 

ii 

ii 

Mean 

1,410 

ii 

ii 

Mean 

22 

— 

1,500 

ii 

ii 

1395 

1,390 

ii 

ii 

1374 

23 

— 

1,250 

ii 

ii 

1 ,368 

ii 

ii 

24 

— 

1,180 

ii 

♦f 

1,378 

ii 

ii 

25 

— 

1,175 

ii 

ti 

1,378 

ii 

ti 

26 

— 

1,400 

it 

f» 

• 

1,358 

ii 

ii 

27 

— 

1,500 

ii 

ii 

1,392 

ii 

ii 

28 

— 

1,500 

ti 

ii 

1,420 

ii 

ii 

29 

— 

1,500 

it 

ii 

1,461 

ii 

ii 

30 

— 

1,500 

it 

ii 

1,451 

ti 

ii 

31 

— 

1,500 

ii 

ii 

1,471 

ti 

ii 

■ 


BSSSBttssasssserraeBSSBsrsssassassasxasarsrisssesarsastsBisisssoEjsaaEsrststsasseasrss!'* 

HANLON  HEADING. 


Ar>ril  1 

- 

1  *500 

80C  « 

ft 

i  V» 

1,279 

800 . 

ft. 

2 

- 

950 

H 

II 

1,129 

it 

It 

3 

- 

1,300 

N 

It 

1,180 

it 

H 

4 

— 

1,225 

H 

H 

1 ,22? 

ti 

M 

5 

— 

1,200 

It 

M 

1,222 

n 

tt 

6 

— 

1,150 

H 

tt 

1,054 

tt 

N 

7 

- 

1,280 

•1 

tt 

.  1,118 

tt 

It 

8 

- 

1,480 

II 

II 

1,048 

K 

If 

9 

— 

1,492 

If 

H 

1,208 

» 

N 

10 

- 

1,625 

D 

'It 

Max. 

1,214 

w 

II 

Max. 

11 

— 

1,611 

II 

If 

1689 

1,264 

tt 

II 

1445 

12 

- 

1,611 

It 

It 

Min. 

1,268 

tt 

tt 

Min. 

1? 

— 

1,660 

M 

tl 

980 

1,242 

it 

II 

1048 

14 

- 

1,666 

It 

tt 

Mean 

1,416 

tt 

II 

Mean 

15 

— 

1,592 

It 

tt 

1511 

1,409 

H 

H 

1307 

16 

— 

1,584 

tt 

H 

1 ,400 

M 

II 

17 

— 

1,584 

II 

tt 

1  ,385 

tt 

tt 

18 

- 

1,550 

M 

II 

1  ,417 

II 

tt 

19 

- 

1,550 

II 

II 

1,373 

N 

II 

20 

*•*» 

1,565 

If 

tt 

1,395 

II 

II 

21 

— 

1,554 

tt 

tt 

1,415 

tt 

M 

22 

- 

1,550 

M 

II 

1  ,417 

tt 

ft 

21 

— 

1 ,635 

H 

M 

1,435 

H 

II 

PA 

— 

1,621 

It 

M 

1 ,445 

II 

II 

PS 

— 

1,600 

tt 

N 

1,391 

II 

» 

PS 

— 

1,630 

tt 

It 

1,410 

W 

N 

21 

— 

1,642 

tt 

tt 

1,379 

It 

tt 

22 

— 

1,689 

tt 

M 

1  ,348 

M 

tt 

29 

— 

1,600 

It 

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HANLON  H5ADIN0. 


IMPSBIAL  VALL8Y • 


1 

— 

1,650 

sec. 

ft. 

1,726 

sec. 

ft. 

2 

— 

1,650 

M 

If 

1,314 

H 

II 

3 

— 

1,650 

H 

H 

1*316 

II 

II 

4 

— 

1,58? 

II 

M 

1 ,290 

It 

II 

5 

— 

1 ,500 

W 

II 

1,192 

II 

II 

6 

— 

1  ,400 

W 

II 

1,198 

H 

It 

7 

— 

1 ,420 

II 

II 

1,210 

II 

II 

8 

— 

1,470 

II 

If 

1,155 

tt 

M 

9 

— 

1,458 

II 

tt 

1 , 186 

n 

II 

10 

— 

1,451 

M 

H 

1,208 

11 

H 

11 

— 

1,465 

II 

It 

1  ,106 

» 

II 

12 

— 

1,320 

II 

II 

Max. 

1,051 

11 

(I 

Max . 

13 

— 

1,300 

II 

ft 

1650 

1,007 

tt 

H 

1326 

14 

— 

1,305 

tt 

U 

Ml  n. 

1,037 

H 

M 

Kin. 

15 

— 

1,710 

II 

II 

1300 

971 

II 

tt 

971 

16 

— 

1,740 

H 

It 

Kean 

1,058 

II 

II 

Mean 

17 

— 

1,300 

II 

N 

1427 

1,090 

U 

II 

1112 

18 

— 

1,420 

II 

II 

1,110 

II 

tt 

19 

— 

1,325 

II 

M 

1,106 

tt 

It 

20 

— 

1,400 

M 

II 

1 ,080 

II 

II 

21 

— 

1,470 

M 

II 

1,093 

H 

tt 

22 

— 

1,410 

It 

II 

1,078 

M 

II 

27 

— 

1,400 

If 

II 

1,000 

N 

II 

24 

mmm 

1,430 

II 

II 

1,056 

It 

II 

25 

— 

1,375 

II 

n 

1,070 

II 

ft 

26 

— 

1,370 

II 

it 

1,061 

H 

II 

27 

— 

1,389 

It 

n 

1,097 

tt 

tt 

28 

— 

1,385 

II 

11 

1,01? 

II 

M 

29 

— 

1,365 

II 

» 

1,076 

II 

N 

30 

— 

1,375 

M 

M 

986 

» 

tt 

71 

— 

1,400 

tt 

11 

1,023 

II 

tt 

10 


5  .s  ts  ss  ;■«  is  ta  rs  is  :3S  as  is  as  is  ia  iss 


IMPERIAL  VALLEY  * 


HANLON  HEADING . 


June  1 

— 

1,420 

800. 

ft. 

1,123 

800. 

ft. 

2 

— 

1 ,475 

H 

H 

1,113 

it 

It 

5 

— 

1,450 

n 

II 

1,127 

it 

tt 

4 

— 

1,500 

« 

H 

1,088 

M 

N 

5 

- 

1,460 

K 

M 

1,082 

tt 

H 

6 

- 

1,520 

M 

tt 

1 , 133 

tt 

tt 

7 

— 

1,535 

M 

M 

1,135 

11 

II 

8 

- 

1,540 

tl 

H 

1,172 

11 

N 

9 

— 

1,520 

» 

M 

1,188 

H 

tt 

10 

— 

1,520 

H 

ft 

1,175 

II 

tt 

11 

- 

1,530 

II 

II 

Max. 

1,1*9 

It 

M 

Max. 

IS 

— 

1,525 

M 

tt 

1569 

1,162 

II 

tt 

1188 

13 

— 

1,511 

tt 

« 

Mir\. 

1,096 

II 

tt 

Min. 

14 

- 

1,540 

n 

ii 

1420 

1  ,055 

H 

tt 

1061 

15 

- 

1 ,5  00 

n 

H 

Mean 

1,061 

M 

U 

Mean 

16 

- 

1,530 

n 

M 

1512 

1,153 

tt 

N 

*  1140 

17 

•*» 

1,520 

tt 

II 

1,160 

II 

N 

IP 

— 

1,510 

H 

II 

1 ,154 

M 

M 

19 

— 

1,545 

tt 

M 

1,142 

n 

H 

20 

— 

1 ,495 

M 

tt 

1,174 

it 

II 

21 

— 

1,569 

tt 

n 

1,163 

U 

II 

22 

- 

1,520 

U 

h 

1,175 

M 

II 

23 

- 

1 ,551 

It 

u 

1,148 

II 

tt 

24 

— 

1,551 

W 

w 

1,132 

II 

II 

25 

— 

1,560 

tt 

a 

1,158 

tt 

tt 

26 

— 

1,560 

M 

u 

1  ,162 

M 

tt 

27 

— 

1,560 

M 

M 

1,143 

II 

H 

28 

- 

1,585 

H 

ii 

1  ,126 

H 

tt 

29 

- 

1,585 

II 

tt 

1,145 

H 

tt 

30 

* 

- 

1,538 

H 

M 

1,163 

tt 

II 

— L.  — L-.  Jl>. 


; 


' 

•  • 

>  .  , 
■/.-I.- 


, 

•  •  •  .  •  .  :  • '  ■•!  ■  •  • 

m.jW  |  ww'i  >  *  ■««■»  '  J" 


■: 


*■> 

- 

, 

- 

,  i 

- 

- 

- 

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- 

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««* 

M 

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. 


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11 


s  ss  zs  st  z;  nr  c:  ss  3  cs  ss  ss  ns  ss  ss  ss  ss  ss  ss  ss  ss  3  a  ss  ss  ss  as  ss  ss  ss  cs  at  ss  ss  s  ss  s:  ss  ss  ss  at ss  a  ss  ss : 


July 


HANLON  HSADINO. 


IMP^BIAI  VALLKY- 


1 

- 

1,598 

86?  (3* 

ft. 

1,054 

sec. 

ft. 

8 

- 

1,550 

n 

II 

1,050 

11 

II 

3 

— 

1 ,545 

M 

II 

981 

it 

If 

4 

- 

1,448 

M 

II 

1,015 

it 

It 

5 

— 

1,410 

II 

II 

1,015 

11 

II 

6 

— 

1,487 

M 

II 

1,098 

M 

It 

7 

- 

1,548 

« 

II 

1  ,131 

II 

II 

8 

— 

1 ,444 

W 

M 

1,173 

H 

H 

9 

-  ’ 

1,389 

M 

H 

1  ,150 

II 

N 

10 

— 

1,368 

It 

H 

1,088 

» 

II 

11 

— 

1,810 

M 

It 

Max. 

981 

II 

II 

Max. 

12 

- 

1,810 

U 

II 

1598 

880 

ft 

II 

117?, 

13 

- 

1,156 

N 

N 

Min. 

885 

M 

If 

Min. 

14 

- 

1,153 

M 

H 

^46 

886 

H 

II 

417 

15 

- 

1,148 

W 

N 

Mean 

776 

II 

M 

Mean 

16 

— 

1,148 

H 

II 

1180 

811 

M 

tl 

788 

17 

— 

1,158 

« 

M 

836 

II 

If 

18 

— 

1,086 

M 

N 

744 

n 

N 

IS 

- 

1,045 

H 

N 

698 

n 

H 

80 

— 

935 

M 

II 

646 

w  • 

H 

81 

- 

938 

n 

II 

608 

11 

II 

22 

— 

860 

W 

« 

570 

11 

II 

25 

— 

850 

II 

t» 

589 

H 

W 

24 

- 

791 

N 

M 

587 

It 

n 

25 

— 

777 

M 

II 

476 

II 

M 

26 

— 

763 

II 

It 

547 

II 

II 

27 

— 

749 

H 

M 

540 

It 

M 

28 

— 

^50 

It 

H 

459 

It 

« 

29 

— 

746 

N 

M 

456 

II 

It 

30 

— 

746 

K 

H 

417 

n 

It 

31 

- 

781 

II 

M 

488 

H 

M 

Vl.  . 


. 


- 

14 

. 

ft 

, 

.  ’  •  rfl ,  i 

. .. 

?*:■  >  ',1 

'  »* 

•if.  ! 


, 


1 


August 


HANLON  HEADING. 


1 

— 

811 

sec  * 

ft 

• 

2 

— 

811 

m 

M 

3 

— 

1*015 

w 

H 

4 

— 

978 

N 

It 

5 

— 

1 ,039 

H 

II 

6 

__ 

1,155 

M 

H 

V 

\ 

7 

— 

1*230 

II 

II 

'f\AJbJ/L 

8 

~ 

1*344 

ft 

II 

|i?>  • 

9 

— 

1*344 

« 

ft 

10 

- 

1*289 

II 

II 

'W/' 

11 

12 

1*095 
1*3  65 

ft 

n 

ft 

II 

13 

14 

— 

1*373 

1,385 

ii 

ft 

ft 

ft 

15 

— 

1,346 

ft 

II 

16 

— 

1,501 

ft 

ft 

17 

— 

1*240 

ft 

ft 

18 

- 

1*240 

M 

« 

19 

— 

1,510 

If 

II 

20 

— 

1,440 

II 

ft 

21 

— 

1,581 

ft 

ft 

22 

— 

1,506 

II 

II 

23 

— 

1,568 

H 

II 

24 

— 

1  ,500 

m 

It 

25 

— 

1*538 

u 

ft 

26 

— 

1,533 

ii 

ft 

27 

- 

1,388 

«i 

ft 

28 

- 

1,585 

ti 

ft 

29 

• 

1 ,615 

n 

ft 

30 

- 

1,486 

ii 

ft 

31 

- 

1,651 

u 

II 

IMPERIAL  VALLBY. 


395 

S‘*C* 

ft. 

409 

11 

ft 

584 

M 

ft 

557 

it 

II 

527 

M 

H 

574 

II 

ft 

679 

It 

ft 

699 

ft 

II 

/f 

t 

756 

II 

ft 

729 

II 

ft 

745 

ft 

ft 

795 

809 

ft 

ti 

ft 

ft 

)vc^-'£ 

839 

ft 

II 

/oil 

838 

ft 

ft 

• 

yVirt  ✓AA-' 

758 

749 

II 

II 

It 

ft 

837 

ft 

ft 

Cyvu-^*-^ 

862 

906 

ft 

ft 

ft 

tl 

■^ot 

871 

ft 

ft 

PS7 

ft 

ft 

930 

ft 

ft 

982 

ft 

ft 

1,010 

If 

ft 

1,017 

ft 

II 

1,041 

ft 

ft 

1,043 

ft 

ft 

1,057 

ft 

ft 

1,113 

ft 

II 

1,071 

ft 

ft 

,  ■  _ -  ‘  • 


1 


\ 


■ 


4. 


* 


Vv 


f, 


■i 


i 


H 


> '  •;  ' 


f**15 


"  . 


V 


'  .  . 


< 


I 


♦J 

#  ■ 

*2  '•  ,  1 


> 


nm*i 


* 


. 


. 


1? 


It  seems  that  1200  to  1B00  second  feat  are  necessary  to 
satisfy  the  demands  of  the  area  now  under  cultivation  and  to  meet 
the  requirements  of  the  large  herds  of  stock  and  for  domestic 
use ,  as  these  are  wholly  dependent  on  the  canal  for  their  entire 
supply,  as  there  are  no  wells;  neither  are  there  any  storage 
tanks  for  use  in  tiding  oyer  an  emergency,  such  as  might  come 
from  a  break  in  the  canal,  that  would  cut  off  the  entire  water 
supply  for  a  time  and  cause  great  suffering  to  the  people  and  to 
live  stock. 

In  the  latter  part  of  July,  the  volume  passing  the 

head  gates  had  dropped  down  to  746  second  feet  and  the  conditions 

became  alarming.  Only  395  second  feet  reached  Imperial  Valley. 

« 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  on  my  arrival  at  Yuma. 

It  was  soon  learned,  however,  that  the  California  Development 
Company  had  secured  a  dredge,  with  which  to  clear  out  the  depos¬ 
its  in  the  intake,  and  had  also  taken  steps  to  build  a  submerged 


dam,  on  which  work  was  begun  July  ?,?, cl.  By  August  2?d,  a  trestle 


■ 


* 


*4 

V 

. 


■•.v-ijl  W 


;  -  * 


nr  .. 


4 


. 


•<  i;*:#  t,  ,*v ?®  •**.>'  ««•  U*  il 

■ 


. 


was  completed  across  the  river  and  rock  dumped  therein  had 
raised  the  water  surface  two  feet,  and  the  water  In  the  Intake 
stood  above  the  tops  of  the  head  gates,  giving  a  flow  down  the 
canal  of  1700  second  feet. 

This  dam  was  constructed  by  dumping  rock  from  side- 
dump  cars  ,  until  the  required  height  was  reached,  and  as  no  fas¬ 
cines  were  used,  it  might  readily  be  carried  beyond  the  point 
where  it  could  be  classed  as  a  temporary  structure.  Plate  1 
shows  the  crest  of  the  dam  and  the  elevation  of  the  bed  of  the 
river,,  above  and  below,  on  August  2? .  A  photograph  of  the 
trestle  is  shown  in  plate  ?. 

An  interview,  on  August  24th,  with  prominent  officials 
of  several  of  the  Imperial  Valley  water  companies,  indicated  that 
the  water  supply  was  adequate  for  all  their  requirements  and  the 
los S68  to  the  Valley,  while  of  considerable  proportion,  were 
mainly  confined  to  loss  of  the  corn  crop,  owing  to  lack  of  water 
at  planting  time  and  to  one  or  two  cuttings  of  alfalfa. 


15 


i 

Shortly  after  my  arrival  here,  I  made  a  tour  of  the 
valley  and  observed  the  condition  of  the  crops  and  abundant  evi¬ 
dences  of  lacfc  of  water  were  to  be  seen*  Many  alfalfa  fields 
were  dry  to  the  roots  and  but  very  little  corn  was  in  evidence* 
Cotton  appeared  to  be  doing  fairly  well  and  now  promises  a  good 
' crop. 

The  efforts  of  the  California  Development  Company, 
to  secure  the  necessary  water  supply  to  the  valley,  was  watched 
with  care,  and  as  they  seemed  to  have  the  w or 3c  well  in  hand,  and 
were  energetically  striving  to  reach  the  desired  result,  both  by 
dredging  and  by  a  submerged  dam,  my  attention  was  then  turned  to 

i 

the  larger  question,  of  how  to  prevent  injury  and  destruction  of 
property,  through  the  recurrence  of  the  difficulties  arising 
from  changes  in  the  route  of  the  Colorado  river. 

Reports  of  the  foregoing  worK  wer*  wired  to  you  from 
time  to  time,  as  the  worK.  progressed* 

The  Imperial  Canal,  known  as  the  property  of  the 
California  Development  Company,  taps  the  Colorado  river  at  a 


16 


point  about  1600  feet  aboy©  the  International  Boundary  line. 

Prom  this  point »  the  water  flows  in  a  southwesterly  direction 
for  a  distance  of  about  1500  feet*  vrith  a  bottom  width  of  about 
60  feet  and  100  feet  wide  at  the  top,  to  the  concrete  head  gates 
about  1000  feet  Worth  of  the  International  Boundary  line.  These 
gates  are  said  to  rest  on  bed  rook.  There  are  11  openings,  IB 
feet  wide  and  10  feet  high  and  a  navigation  bye-pass  IB  feet 
wide.  The  estimated  capacity  of  the  gates  Is  10,000  cubic  feet 
per  second. 

The  elevation  of  the  floor,  or  sill,  is  100.9  feet 

% 

above  sea  level,  U.S.R.S.  datum,  and  when  built  in  1906,  it 
was  about  5  feet  below  the  bed  of  the  river.  As  the  bed  of  the 
river  is  continually  changing,  with  even  slight  changes  of  stage, 
it  seems  now  that  the  sill  of  the  gates  should  have  been  placed 
several  feet  lower,  in  order  to  meet  the  probable  lowering  of  the 
low  water  plane,  due  to  the  regulation  of  the  river  and  flood 
control,  by  means  of  levees.  In  fact,  the  bed  of  the  river, 
in  June  1910,  was  10-1/B  feet  below  the  sill  of  head  gates,  the 


A  '  J  . 

. 

- 

. 


•; 


* 

*1® 


1 


’ 


i 


!  -  .  :  •/ 


17 


water  surface  being  5  feet  above  the  top  of  the  gates,  Yuma 
gage  reading  22  feet.  After  leaving  the  headgates,  the 
water  flows  through  a  canal  for  a  distance  of  about  4  miles, 
where  it  enters  the  old  bed  of  Alamo  river,  a  high,  water  chan¬ 
nel,  formerly  emptying  into  the  Salton  basin.  It  makes  a 

\ 

V 

detour  to  the  Southward  into  Mexico,  on  account  of  a  high 
sandy  mesa,  which  prevents  carrying,  the  water  to  Imperial 
Valley  through  United  States  territory.  This  old  channel, 
on  Mexican  soil,  measures  about  44.2  miles  in  length  and  reach¬ 
es  a  maximum  distance  of  about  nine  miles  Southward  of  the  In- 

i 

ternational  Boundary.  It  crosses  back  to  the  United  States  at 

a  point  54.3  -  lies  fiom  the  Colorado  river,  as  measured  on  the 

■  «  *  » 

Boundary  line,  /  The  main  canal  crosses  boundary  41.5  miles 
from  river,  making  total  distance  in  Mexico  about  50  miles. 

Bach  cultivated  acre  Is  entitled  to  4  acre  feet  per  annum.  The 
capaoity  of  this  Main  Canal  at  present  is  about  1800  second 
feet,  and  it  served  this  year  203,246  acres  of  land  in  Imperial 
Valley,  Cal.,  and  22,000  acres  in  Mexico.  The  mean  velocity 


of  flow  In  the  canal  is  reported  to  he  from  1.6  to  oyer  Z  feet 


per  second.  The  distance  from  the  concrete  haadgate  to  Sharps 
Heading  la  5 Z  miles  and  the  total  fall  between  the  sills  of 
the  two  gates  la  75.5  feet,  giving  an  average  slope  of  1.5  feet 
per  mile.  For  alignment  of  canal,  see  map  herewith. 

In  my  opinion,  the  shortage  of  water  could  have  been 
avoided  by  the  use,  earlier  in  the  season,  both  in  the  intake 
and  the  canal  proper,  of  an  efficient  type  of  dredge  of  the 
proper  capacity. 

« 

/ 

This  only  applies  to  the  present  demand  for  water. 
Should  the  demand  largely  increase,  as  now  seems  inevitable, 
it  win  be  necessary  to  reconstruct  the  rain  canal  on  more 

efficient  lines  both  as  to  section  and  slope  —  Whether  this 

% 

is  done  or  not,  the  safety  of  the  valley  requires  that  the 
various  wooden  controlling  wor&s  be  replaced  at  an  early 
day  with  substantial  concrete  structures.  Without  such  en¬ 
largement  and  reconstruction,  the  great  outlay  necessary  to 
draw  the  supply  from  Laguna  Dam  would  not  be  justified* 


' 


■ 

, 


::t  w  i  J.  ''T  V.'  ^  t  y  m  7 

. 

L 


..  *  n 


.. 

. 


■  ■  '|  i  ’■  '"l'°***|| 

. 


. 


■  '•:  '  ./■-  ■  -  * 

»  .. 


19 


An  extension  of  the  intake  to  Laguna  Bam  would  serve 
to  definitely  fix  the  source  of  supply  beyond  any  probable 
danger  thereto  and  a  main  canal  could  be  oarried  therefrom, 
which  would  serve  many  acres  in  the  higher  lands,  which  are  above 
the  reach  of  the  present  system. 

The  Laguna  dam,  being  merely  a  weir,  does  not  serve 
the  purpose  of  storing  water  and  hence  would  have  no  value  for 
conserving  the  high  stage  supply. 

The  extreme  low  water  discharge,  measured  at  Yuma, 
up  to  date,  Is  26 94  second  feet.  This  occurred  in  January, 

1907 i  fortunately  at  the  season  of  the  year  when  little  water  is 

3  ,  * 

needed.  The  Yuma  Valley  project  covers  some  190,000  acres,  and 
the  Imperial  Valley,  which  can  be  reached  from  present  intake, 
about  400,000  acres. 

Then,  South  of  the  Boundary  line,  and  west  of  the 
river,  in  Mexican  territory ,  lies  860,000  acres  of  the  cream  of 
the  Colorado  Delta,  which  could  be  made  highly  productive  with  a 
good  water  supply.  The  principal  owners  md  their  holdings  in 


■ 


' 

•  V  ■■  ' 

■ 

. 


, 


| 
1 

. 


' 


Mexico  are  as  follows  : 


West  of  Hew  River,  various  IrKliyl duals  and 
Mexican  Companies*- - -  -  —  - - - 

Signal  Mountain  Land  and  Cattle  Company, 
S.A.,  a  Mexican  Company,  -------  - 


Mexican  Land  and  Colonization  Cocpany 
Limited,  an  English  Company  >  —  -  - 


tfoJLLtM 

Imperial vLan&  and  Irrigation  Oortpany, 
Lower  California,  S.A.,  a  Mexican  Co* 


La  Sooiedad  de  Irrigacion  de  Te:2>enos  de 
la  Saja^r  California,  S.A.  a  Mexican  oo» - 

Individuals,  Undivided  Tract,  ------- 

Colorado  River  Land  Conpany,  S.A. ,  a 
Mexican  Corporation,  —  -  -  - - —  -  — 


TOTAL - 


Acres. 
IS, 000 


10,000 

20,000 

32,000 

SO, 000 
20,000 

686,000 
860,000  Acrea 


The  following  table  shows,  from  the  discharge  observa¬ 
tions  at  Yuma,  the  available  water  supply  in  the  Colorado  River, 
without  storage,  and  the  area  that  could  be  Irrigated  therewith, 
if  drawn  upon  as  needed  and  utilized  without  waste: 


- .  ‘ 

....  ’ '  ll 


'* 


■ 


:  ■  .  -  , r 


v 


- 


■ 

* 


wmm 


HI 


TABLE  OP  MIHIBHK  MONTHLY  FLO*  OF  THE  COLORADO  RIVBR 


AT  YUMA,  FOR  THE  YEARS  190S  to  1908  Ino. 


n»..3«3»sB!saf»artr«3art:st»tt™ac*«»t».T3t»a»sif*nar!r»r»«Btni 


«r»aatsaamsaia»a!tssst*tsar“ 


MONTH* 


at  as  cs  ts  ss  cs  cs  ss  ~  ts  c*  ss  sr  rs  rs  ss  ts  ss  cs  re  rs  3  rs  rs  rr  rr  cs  ssrcs  tx  ss  t» 


MINIMUM  MONTHLY 
HUN  OFF  IN  ACRH  FT 


MONTHLY  DUTY 
DFPTH  IN  FT 

ss  rs  a  ss  st  sx  as  ts  rs  rs  rs  ts  ss  ts : 


AHFA  THAT  OGtJLD 
B1?  IRHIOATFD-ACRFS 

r*  rs  ss  ss  ts  ts  ss  ts  a:  is  ss  ts  ss  rs  sr  ss  ss  _ 


January  -  : - 185,40? - -  :  -  -  - - 0 .80  : - -  987  ,000 

February  -  183,531  -  -  -  : - 0.85: - 730,000 

March - : - 367,708 - : - 0.30  : - 1,880,000 

April  -  -  :  -  -  479,663  - :  -  0.41  •* -  1,170,000 

May - j  -  1,670,000  - j -  0.58.* -  3  ,800.000 

June  -  -  •  -  8,550,000  - - :  -  ~  - -  0*70  :  -  -  3,650,000 

July - :  -  1,411,995  - .* -  0.90  : -  1,570,000 

August  ~  .* -  598,366  : -  0.80  : -  750,000 

September  : -  386,456  : -  0.56: -  690,000 

October  -  :  -  ~  494,160  - : -  0.38:  -  -  1,300,000 

November  : -  381,871  : -  0.86: -  1,830,000 

December  : -  866,598  : -  0.88  :  —  1,810,000 


(Table  prepared  by  Project  engineer  Seliew ) 


h 


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* 

This  Table  shows  that  there  is  sufficient  water  in 


the  river,  during  even  the  low  stages,  to  supply  several  times 
the  area  now  under  cultivation.  It  is  based  on  the  monthly 
average  of  water  used  in  Yuma  Valley  irrigation,  per  acre,  the 
total  required  for  the  year  being  estimated  at  8-1/2  acre  feet, 
which  covers  evaporation  and  other  losses. 

The  following  table  gives  the  monthly  d^scHarge  for 
fche  years  1903  to  1909,  inclusive,  the  total  acre  feet  per  month 
and  year,  and  the  means  by  months  and  years. 

It  indicates  clearly  that  the  annual  supply  of  water 
is  sufficient  to  irrigate  the  major  portion,  if  not  all,  of  the 
entire  Colorado  Delta,  if  adequate  storage  were  provided. 


—  1 

if 

BEK  1 

30VD3EK  . 

»  W  1 

:  becrser  . 

TEAp.  t 

rv\  m*t 

T.ISAH 

mi  ah 

rrinm&T, 

5 

aohe 

SEC. 

ACRE 

SEC . 

i%  ik/l.AJ 

* 

FEES 

FEET 

FEET 

FEES 

FEES 

i 

1003  1 

18519 

5399 

321271 

i 

4336 

266598 

1904  * 

21988 

6150 

366009 

4477 

275305 

1 90S  *i?4i60 

4* 

1&999 

713990 

15398 

946790 

1906  * 

19 

8 

t'3 

O 

9675 

575603 

18500 

1137735 

1907  * 

*p 

56000 

10000 

643000 

7450 

458000 

1908  41 

S|f 

85000 

8090  481000 

15900 

978000 

1909  * 

60839 

9400  561917 

i  8400 

517098 

MBAS  * 

>76647 

l - - - 

8707  523256  10637 

1  II 

654S1S 

| 

.25  967.577— 'Jean  Sotal*17 .912,596 

50 SAX  AC  ’ 


YEAR. 

1003 

1904 

1205 

1906 

1907 

1908 

1909 
HB&S 

TOTAL  i 


DISCHARGE  OF  COLORADO  RIVER  Af  TO ,  ARTS 


JAB.  1st  1903  to  PEC.  31st,  1909. 


g*IS  TABLE  IS  EE  RESULT  OP  anASPEEgnBTS  BY  TEE  HYDROGRAPHIC  PEPfiRIBIEBT  OF 

the  u,  s.  r.  s.  am  discharge  ib  sbcohp  FEE  I  AIO-  TOTAL  aDimiLY  ringHAHGK 

II  AGEE  FEET . 


jasuais: 


Lf 


*aEAB  TOTAL 
*SC.FT  ACHE 


FT. 


* 

* 


3015 

3637 


185407 


123630 


EBKUABY 


XT 


SBC . 
FT. 


'TOTAL 

ACHE 

FEET 


3286  182531 
3787  217815 
20096  IffiO  384 


* 

^10000 

Si 

*js 


849® 


S.4BCH 


APRI 


ii 


®p»i 

*  i^.4* 

a 


11 


T^SAli 


A  fSTO 


FEET  FE 


5980 
5980 
50-538 
5406 


*  8130  499900 
^  I 

6869  422380  9552  530495 

*21500  132000  0  !l8800 1040000  124100 

* 

6320  389000  14  800017000  jl6100 

615678  13900772772 


15900 


522285  13089731713  20572 


367722 
367701 
3107442 
1568140 
1480000 
990000 


feet 


mAn  »-r 

Jte 
TBm 


MAT 

MEAB 


r 

4- 


JTTHE 


r 


JILT 


13,766 
8061 
37823 
32512 
35300 
17800 


ft 

*«ir  a 


81918S 

479663 


2250619 


1934598 

2100000 

1060000 


no  *  r 


■a  nr>^ 

4  *  turf  **  W  - 


, ..  m 

■*J~*  jL 


FEET 


27641 


3184 3 X9 57 9 50 


1699554 


TOTAL 

sc .  ache 

£?&r*£  M  iv  .  a. 


42172 pS93024 
54055  3523710 
37900  b530000 
37200 1G70000 


52382  311694636735 
43687  ! 269953322964 
76473  45 50473150311 


■J i-i 

UiiV  « 


mAS^T 

FEET  FELT 

». '«r***— »"  » 


84190  500965030956 
94000  5640 0009 6400 
42900  255000032600 


AUGUST 


Tt 


SEPTEMBER 


nr 


OCTOBER 


~U. 


«fV>m  i  t 


SBC .  _,v..  j 

FEET.  FEET  ! 


n 


T-*<* t  »  *** 


4-  V  »i* 


2228063  9731  598366 
14119 9 E 171441054143 
106372C 12102744111 
23955im90911173859 


r  jut*  a 


6824 
11621 


6495  386456 

11740  698580 


5930000 
”000000 


376002310000 

243001490000 


975089  30300 

1264299  25080  1492722 ji3926%4i4i40  71329  424387048229  ”060051229671411287  17112  1018451 


1804985  54071  ^3S4743i04G7S  6240488179639  4896865^0797250853 


flKs  *  T 

ACHE 

FEET 


BOTI 


‘FT 


♦  *  * 


PECRJSER 


HEAff  "VZte 

A  GiUs  OTn  AWfl 


406055 

691497 


13200 


1380000 


11400  678000 

48500  12880571 


HEAR 

SEC .  ,:.A®P  |  SEC .  II  SEC . 

FEET  FEET  1  FEET  FEKTil  FEET 


FEET 


8433 


618519 


11642  721988 


I 


5399  321271  4336  266598 

1 

6150  366009  4477  275305 

8037  494160  11999  1713990  15398  946790 

11710  720020  9673  575603  18500  1137735 

13600  1836000  10800  643000  7450  !  458000 


9510  585000 
14000  660839 
10990  676647 


8090  481000  IL5900  978000 


9400  561917 


8400  517098 


8707  523256  10637  654218 


ICR 


T  BY  THE  YEAR:  1903-10.968  ,615— 1904-10 .108, 3 32—190 5-19, 711, 067— 1906-19,484,081— 1907-25,467,00— 1908-13,688,000— 1909-25,967,577—  .loan  To  tal«17 ,913,596 


24 


An  exhaustive  study  of  the  whole  question  of  the  con¬ 
servation  of  the  flood  waters  of  the  Colorado  water  shed  and 
the  economic  use  of  the  Laguna  Dam,  in  connection  with  the  ir- 

4 

rlgation  of  the  Colorado  delta,  should  he  taken  up  without 
further  delay*  It  will  require  considerable  time  to  do  this 
properly  and  It  is  none  too  soon  to  begin* 

The  troubles  experienced  in  Imperial  Valley,  under 

•* 

present  conditions,  are  very  largely  due  to  lack  of  capital 
for  the  needed  preliminary  investigations  and  for  the  design 
and  construction  of  proper  and  economic  works,  for  the  diversion 
and  control  of  the  water  from  the  Colorado  Diver.  Exception 
should  be  made  to  the  concrete  head  gates,  which  are  apparently 


serving  the  purpose  for  which  they  were  designed. 


The  development  of  Imperial  Valley  has  been  little 


short  of  magical.  Within  a  decade,  it  has  changed  from  a 
barren  desert  to  highly  productive  fields,  orchards  and  vine¬ 
yards,  occupied  by  a  thrifty  people  some  15,000  in  number. 

Thriving  towns  dot  the  valley,  in  whioh  may  be  seen 


i 


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% 


••  •  < 


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. 


■ 


♦  «***!§ 


25 


large,  well-appointed  school  buildings,  substantial  business 
houses  and  comfortable  homes,  all  proclaiming  that  this  devel¬ 
opment  is  not  ephemeral,  and  under  proper  conditions,  the  pros- 

/ 

pects  for  the  future  are  exceedingly  bright. 

The  extraordinary  fertility  of  the  soil  results  in 

greatly  increasing  demands  for  more  am  more  area  under  oulti- 

/ 

vation,  with  large  increase  in  the  amount  of  water  required 
therefor.  But,  to  continue  this  rapid  expansion  of  culti¬ 
vation  without  insuring  an  ample  water  supply,  by  means  of 
better  control  of  intake  and  more  adequate  main  canal  and  con¬ 
trolling  worses,  is  to  invite  troubles  greater  than  have  yet 
come  to  them. 

with  the  assurance  of  such  prolific  returns,  it  does 
not  seem  probable  that  this  opportunity  of  practical  conserva¬ 
tion  will  long  be  neglected. 


.  S--  ■  'V  U  *U  *  <  '■’  i 

■ 

' 


. 


. 


m 

. 


. 


'  mv 

* 


, 

* 


*  . 


■ 


■ 


26 


The  control  of  the  course  of  tha  Colorado  river, 
for  the  purpose  of  Protecting  Lands  and  Property  In  the 
Imperial  Valley,  and  elsewhere,  along  the  Colorado  Flyer, 
within  the  limits  of  the  United  States. 

SURVEYS  AN  I.  EXAMINATIONS  ♦ 

In  obedience  to  the  fourth  paragraph  of  your  instruc¬ 
tions,  to  «raahe  appropriate  examination  upon  the  ground  and 
recommend  the  course,  which,  in  your  opinion,  will  prevent 
injury  and  destruction  of  property  in  the  United  States, 
through  the  recurrence  of  the  difficulties  which  have  hereto¬ 
fore  from  time  to  time  arisen,  by  reason  of  the  unreliability 
of  the  course  of  the  Colorado  river*' ,  a  survey  party  was  organ¬ 
ised,  which  reached  the  field  and  went  into  camp  near  the  In¬ 
ternational  boundary  line,  on  August  16th. 

Great  difficulty  was  experienced  in  securing  competent 
men  to  serve  under  conditions  of  extreme  heat  and  at  a  point 
remote  from  habitations  and  travelled  highways. 


Equipment  and  teams  were  secured  from  the  Reclamation 


r,*  5 


. 


■ 


■ 


t 


. 


■  ■ 


.  ; 


J 


Service,  at  Yuma,  and  a  supply  line  was  established,  in  order 
to  minimize  the  discomforts  of  the  heated  season  as  far  as 
practicable . 

The  party  consisted  of  J.  G.  Morgan,  Chief  of  party, 
r.  b.  Ray,  transit-man,  L.  F.  Tripp,  levelman,  four  rodraen, 

a  cook  and  6  Cocopah  Indian  Axemen# 

The  instrumental  survey  with  tertiary  triangulation 
and  stadia  covered  the  Colorado  river  from  a  point  about  6  miles 
below  the  concrete  headgates  at  Hanlons  do?m  to  the  Abekas  river 
breaK  and  thence  down  the  dry  bed  to  within  about  20  miles  of 
tide  water,  a  total  distance  by  river  of  about  35  miles  —  The 
Survey  was  also  extended  down  the  Abekas  river  to  a  distance  of 

5  miles.  It  includes  the  location  of  both  banK  lines  with 

\ 

elevations  thereon  and  with  cross-sections  in  the  Abejas  and  the 
dry  bed  of  the  Colorado  river  —  A  line  was  also  cut  through 
the  timber  and  brush  along  near  the  west  banK  of  the  Colorado, 
approximating  as  near  as  practicable  the  site  of  the  proposed 
levee  and  extends  the  entire  length  of  the  survey# 


' 


28 


Levels  were  carried  over  this  line  and  an  accurate 
profile  thereof*  has  been  developed  —  The  distances  were 
measured  with  steel  tape. 

The  notes  of  this  survey  have  been  platted  on  a 
scale  of  one  inch  to  1,000  feet.  ®n  this  map  the  route  of  the 
proposed  levee  and  the  crossing  of  the  Abejos  river  have  been 
projected  and  this  will  constitute  the  working  plan  for  con¬ 
struction  work.  Profiles  of  the  lines  levelled  over  have  also 

been  platted  for  the  purpose  of  determining  the  hlght  of  levee 

% 

required  and  estimating  the  cubic  yards  of  earth  therein. 

Several  sections  of  the  Abe J as  were  also  platted  on 
a  large  scale  for  the  purpose  of  selecting  the  best  site  for 
the  crossing  and  for  estimating  the  quantity  of  material  re¬ 
quired  for  trestle  and  for  the  rock  fill. 

The  surveys  were  completed  on  October  4  and  covered 
a  period  of  42  working  days  in  the  field  —  which  5s  an  ex¬ 


ceedingly  good  record  when  we  consider  that  the  work  was  done 


,j 

m  X 1  1 


. 

v  '’ll 

I 


- 


1  i -.L**0*  WSfcJ  * 


ttfl 


* 


. 


during  the  hottest  part  of  an  unusual ly  hot  season. 


Many  who 


are  accustomed  to  the  climate  declared  in  the  beginning,  that 
a  survey  of  the  lower  Colorado  river  during  the  summer  months 
was  impracticable. 

Mr.  Morgan,  his  assistants  and  the  Cocopah  Indian 
Axemen  all  deserve  credit  for  carrying  the  work  to  a  successful 
conculsion  under  such  trying  conditions. 

In  addition  to  the  instrumental  survey  examinations 
were  made  by  myself  of  the  Colorado  river  from  Yuma  down  for 
a  distance  of  some  40  miles;  the  Abejas  river  from  the  Colorado 
river  down  several  miles;  of  the  Hardy  river  from  its  source 
at  Volcano  Lake  to  its  junction  with  the  dry  bed  of  the  Colora¬ 
do;  the  lower  portion  of  the  Pescadero  river;  Salt  Slough; 

Hew  river  and  the  Alamo.  The  water  in  the  Hardy  river,  which 
now  carries  the  entire  volume  of  the  Colorado,  was  found  to 
be  practically  clear,  the  sediment  having  been  eliminated  in 
its  passage  down  the  Abejas  river  to  Volcano  Lake. 

Examinations  were  also  made,  covering  to  a  consider¬ 
able  extent,  the  various  canals  and  headings  of  the  California 


so 


Development  Company,  together  with  a  general  view  o£  a  large 
part  of  the  Irrigated  portion  of  Imperial  Valley  and  the  delta 
south  of  the  International  Boundary  Line  in  Mexico. 

The  records  of  the  Reclamation  Service  at  Yuma  have 
been  fully  drawn  upon  for  facts  relating  to  stage  and  discharge 
of  the  Colorado  river  and  were  of  great  service  in  the  study  of 


the  problems  relating  to  flood  control. 


v,;V \ 

1  -v  .  _______ 


nwi 


. 


. 


. 

' 


w£cU*fi^^M 


t 


. 


« i 


iii;  I  , 


. 


71 

Physical  Characteristics  of  the  lower  Colorado  River. 

The  geological  history  of  the  Salto n  basin  and  the 
formation  of  the  Colorado  delta  have  been  discussed  so  fully 
of  lat e  y ear$ ,  that  it  is  deemed  best  to  confine  this  report 
to  the  salient  features,  which  bear  directly  on  the  particular 
problems  in  hand. 

The  lower  Colorado  river  has  the  usual  characteristics 
of  sedimentary  streams,  although  some  of  the  features  of  its 
regimen  are  accentuated,  such  as  the  percentage  of  sediment, 
the  slope,  the  very  fine  material  composing  its  bed  and  banfcs, 
and  the  extreme  elevation  of  its  delta  above  Salton  basin. 

The  ratio  of  sediment  to  water  is  l  to  767,  while  in  the 
Mississippi  rivsr  this  ratio  is  1  to  1600.  The  total  annual 

*  *  I 

volume  of  sediment  amounts  to  57  square  miles  one  foot  deep. 

The  material  of  the  bed  is  so  easily  eroded  that  Its 
elevation  becomes  a  function  of  the  stage,  while  no  fixed  rel¬ 
ation  between  stage  arid  volume  of  discharge  can  be  traced.  For 
instance,  in  June,  1004,  at  a  stage  of  126.7,  the  discharge 


I 


'is 


' 

' 


.  . 


' 


m 


. 


. 


* 


* 


ZP 


measured  50,000  second  feet,  while  at  the  same  stage  in 
December,  1808,  the  discharge  was  78,000  s  cond  feet. 

The  river  flows  on  the  crown  of  an  elevated  delta, 
having  an  area  of  about  5600  square  miles.  It  has  a  si* re  of 
about  8.6  feet  per  mile,  toward  the  Gulf  of  California,  and  lies 
some  400  feet  above  the  bottom  of  the  adjacent  Salton  basin,  which 
gives  very  steep  slopes  to  the  westward  for  the  overbanfc  dis¬ 
charge  during  floods,  and  the  tendency  to  leave  its  bed  for  one 
of  the  high  water  outlets,  with  Its  steeper  slope,  is  continually 
present.  See  map  herewith. 

The  slope  toward  the  eastward  mesa  is  about  8  feet  jbt 
mile.  The  chief  high  water  outlets,  or  channels,  which  under 
normal  stages  are  dry,  are  the  Alamo,  now  occupied  by  the  Imper¬ 
ial  valley  canal,  the  Paredonis,  Abejas  and  the  Pescadero.  The 
New  river  ooedpies  the  thalweg  to  the  westward  of  the  delta  and 
flows  in  a  Northwesterly  direction  to  the  Salton  sinfc,  or  in  a 
Southwesterly  direction  to  Volcano  La*e,  and  thence  to  the  Gulf, 


via  the  Hardy  river,  according  to  the  magnitude  of  the  overflow. 


North  of  volcano  hake,  It  Is  a  dry  bed  with  little  or  no  water 


except  such  as  may  reach  it  through  the  Paredonis  at  overflow 
stages  of  the  Colorado  river,  or  water  from  the  waste  gates  near 
Mexicali.  At  the  present  time,  the  flow  to  the  Southward  is 
out  off  by  a  levee. 

The  average  flood  slope  of  the  river  from  Yuma  to  tide** 
water  of  the  Gulf  of  California  is  about  1*6  feet  per  mile,  esti¬ 
mating  the  distance  from  Yuma  at  80  miles  by  river,  while  the 
average  slope  from  the  river,  along  the  Alamo  and  New  rivers,  to 
Salton  sink  is  about  7.5  feet  per  mile,  but  this  latter  slope  is 
not  uniformly  distributed,  and  in  places  is  much  In  excess  of 
this  figure.  These  various  slopes  are  shown  In  a  general  way  on 
plate  4. 

The  havoc  created  by  the  river  in  1906,  when  it 
flowed  down  this  very  steep  slope,  through  material  so  easily 
eroded,  is  sufficient  warning  that  strenuous  measures  should  be 
used  to  prevent  such  catastrophes  in  the  future.  Imperial 
Valley  can  never  be  safe  in  the  face  of  such  m^naoe,  until  ample 


■Hi 


.1  ■ 


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‘ 


. 


«?> 


. 


' 


' 


t<,nB 


. 


■ 


34 


works  are  erected  to  confine  the  flood  waters  to  narrow  limits 
alon*  the  river  proper*  An  interesting  exhibit  of  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  the  Salton  sea  is  shown  in  hydrographic  plate  7. 

Records  of  stage  have  been  kept  contirrously  at  Yuma 

since  1878.  The  lowest  stage  recorded  to  date  was  in  October, 

\ 

1879,  when  the  gage  read  113. 2  feet  above  sea  level. 

The  highest  stage  recorded  was  on  February  26,  1891, 
when  the  gage  read  173.2  feet  above  sea  level.  This  gives  the 
extreme  raage  in  stage  at  Yuma  since  gage  was  established  as  20 

feet. 

Regular  discharge  measurements  were  inaugurated  by 
the  y.  8.  Reclamation  Service  in  1903.  Since  that  time,  the 
lowest  volume  measured  was  on  January  12,  1903,  when  the  river 
carried  but  2694  cubic  feet  per  second,  with  gage  reading  16.8 

feet. 

The  largest  volume  recorded  was  on  June  24,  1909,  when 
the  flood  reached  149500  cubic  feet  per  second,  with  gage  reading 
130.7  feet. 


'•V 


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- 

•  i  :  .*TSj: .  •  ,  t 

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- 


. 


■’  • 


35 


The  oscillation  of  the  bed,  incidental  to  changes  of 
stage,  is  shown  in  plate  5,  where  it  will  be  seen  that  the  eleva¬ 
tion  of  the  low  water  bed  at  the  discharge  station  at  Yuma,  on 
December  16,  1906,  was  113*5  feet  at  the  deepest  part,  while 
during  the  following  great  flood  of  1909,  the  bed  was  scoured 
down  to  an  elevation  of  77.2  feet  above  sea  level  —  a  difference 
of  some  36.3  feet.  In  this  way,  the  stream  readily  adjusts 
Itself  to  the  volume  which  it  is  required  to  carry  if  confined 
to  a  fixed  channel. 

The  Colorado  river  has  the  usual  characteristics  of 

» 

sedimentary  streams  of  great  slope.  The  high  water  channel 
ranges  from  1000  to  3000  feet  or  more  in  width,  and  is  quite 
shallow,  while  the  low  water  channel  is  500  to  1000  feet  wide, 
and  wanders  over  the  whole  range  of  the  high  water  bed.  The  high 
water  bed  is  more  or  less  obstructed  with  vegetation,  which 
springs  up  in  the  interval  between  floods.  The  high  water  bank, 
which  lies  along  the  concave  side  of  the  stream,  is  usually 
well-defined  and  nearly  vertical,  6  to  8  feet  in  hight.  The 


.  •  2« 


. 

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56 


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opposite  bank  la  often  quite  Indefinite. 

The  trees  along  the  banks  are  In  many  cases  burled  In 
the  deposits  for  several  feet  in  depth,  and  the  roots  of  smaller 
growth  also  extend  well  down.  The  upper  adobe  soli,  from  2  to 
6  feet  thick,  or  sometimes  ©yen  more,  is  filled  with  cracks, 
through  which  water  readily  finds  Its  way. 

In  order  to  construct  levees  that  will  be  reasonably 
safe,  it  is  evident  that  both  roots  and  cracked  soil  must  be 
carefully  elifcminated,  by  means  of  muck  ditches  of  ample  depth. 
The  lack  of  this  precaution  is  responsible  for  the  ^allure, 
which  occurred  a  few  hundred  feet  below  the  Hind  dam  which 
had  successfully  closed  the  break  of  1905-6. 

The  banks  adjacent  to  the  river  are  covered  with  a 
dense  growth  of  willows,  arrow  weed  and  some  cottonwood  trees 
of  moderate  sire. 

No  coarse  sand  or  gravel  is  found  on  the  low  water 
bars,  which  are  composed  yery  largely  of  fine  silt. 


. 

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FLOOD  CONTROL  BY  MEANS  OF  LEVEES. 


37 


That  the  river  is  exceedingly  amenable  to  controlling 
works  is  shown  by  its  action  in  the  reach  from  Yuma  downstream, 
for  a  distance  of  25  miles,  where  the  flood  control  is  effected 
by  means  of  levees,  as  shown  on  map  herewith. 

The  left  bank  levee,  for  12  miles  down,  was  constructed 
in  1905 »  and  the  levee  on  the  opposite  bank  was  constructed  by 
the  California  Development  Company,  in  1906-7. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  these  levees  are  less  than 
1500  feet  apart  below  the  concrete  head  gates,  yet  the  great 
flood  of  1909  was  carried  through  without  endangering  the  levees 
and  with  little  increase  in  the  flood  height  above  the  higher  nat¬ 
ural  banks.  The  confined  flood  eroded  the  bed  to  the  extent 
required  to  make  room  for  the  increased  flood  volume,  and  this 
too  without  any  effort  at  bank  protection  on  either  side. 

After  the  flood  of  1910,  the  left  bank  levee  was  breach- 

t 

ed  by  bank  erosion  at  a  point  about  12  miles  below  Yuma.  The 
record  for  stability  will,  however,  compare  favorably  with  sim¬ 
ilar  structures  on  more  stable  streams,  particularly  when  the 


r  t-i 


close  proximity  of  the  levees  to  the  river  is  taken  into . account . 

The  effect  of  an  exten;~ilon  of  the  levee  system  will 
to  lower  the  low  water  plane,  whereas  a  tendency  to  elevate  this 
plane,  due  to  advancement  of  delta  into  the  sea,  the  depletion 
of  the  river  by  irrigation  outlets  and  other  causes,  may  easily 
counter-balance  the  lowering  tendency  of  levees  in  the  course  of 
time . 

So  there  does  not  seem  to  be  any  great  obstacle  in  the 
way  of  constructing  and  maintaining  an  adequate  levee  system, 
which  would  prevent  the  river  from  endangering  the  imperial 
Valley  and  other  portions  of  the  delta  and  would  confine  the 
flood  waters  closely  to  the  high  water  bed  of  the  river*  A  levee 
located  a  reasonable  distance  from  the  westerly  bends  would  pro¬ 
bably  remain  intact  for  some  time.  If  a  levee  had  been  built  in 
1893  from  the  intake  down  to  Arizona  -  Mexico  line,  with  a  loca¬ 
tion  3000  feet  ^est  of  the  Westerly  bends,  it  would  ne  intact 
today,  so  far  as  bank  erosion  is  concerned. 


Maintenance  of  levees  necessarily  means,  not  only  keep- 


. 

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,  Si  .it  1 


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. 


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39 


infi  up  at  all  times  the  section  of  the  levee,  freeing  it  from 
weeds  and  brush,  and  Seeping  it  free  from  burrowing  animals, but 
the  erosion  of  river  bank  must  be  checked  whenever  it  threatened 
to  breach  the  levee;  or,  if  found  to  be  more  economical  in 
special  cases,  build  a  loop  around  the  threatened  break  before 

a  flood  can  take  possession  of  it  and  submerge  the  adjacent 

land. 

The  fact  that  the  river  shifts  about  so  readily,  to 
escape  even  a  compariti vely  slight  obstruction,  is  sufficient 
eviceno©  that  it  would  yield  readily  to  proper  treatment.  The 
banks  are  not  high  and  the  depths  are  small,  both  of  which  favor 
economy  in  construction  of  bank  projection.  Maintenance  can 
be  secured  by  vigilance,  rather  than  by  extraordinary  expendi¬ 
tures  of  money. 

0HANQ13  IN  AI/IONMKNT  Of  KIVBK. 

Bank  erosion  on  the  lower  Colorado  river  is  quite 
active,  and  is  doubtless  accentuated  by  the  escape  over  the  bank, 
at  flood  stages,  which  serves  to  develop  obstructions  below  the 
outlets  of  such  character  that  it  is  easier  for  the  water  to  pa  is 


' 


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around  them  then  to  remove  them  and  a  route  is  developed  along 
new  lines. 

The  ground  shows  many  evidences  of  these  changes.  The 
comparltive  stability  of  the  banks  along  the  upper  portion  of  the 

delta,  where  levees  have  been  e  ffeotive  in  cutting  off  floor  es~  d- 

/ 

cape,  suggests  that  like  treatment  of  the  lower  portion  would 
bring  similar  results. 

Plate  6  8 hows  the  right  or  west  bank  shorelines  of 
the  surveys  of  several  years  and  illustrates  the  extent  of  the 
shifting  tendency  of  the  stream. 

It  will  be  noticed,  if  the  earlier  surveys  be  given 
consideration,  that  the  movement  of  the  river  has  been  largely 
to  the  Hlastward,  this  confirms  to  some  extent  the  suggestion 
heretofore  made,  that  the  movement  is  influenced  by  outlets,  all 
of  which  flow  to  the  Westward. 

The  early  surveys  were  not  connected  with  definite 
points  that  can  now  be  identified,  and  it  is  believed  that 
their  wide  divergence  from  the  later  surveys  is  due  to  errors 
in  azimuth,  and  that  such  radical  change  in  the  position  of 


- 


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41 

the  riv^r,  as  shewn,  could  not  have  occurred. 

Borne  of  the  differences  shown  are  doubtless  due  to 
differences  In  stage  at  which  the  surveys  were  made,  the  bluff 
banks  of  the  westerly  bends  being  the  only  lines  along  which 
comparisons  of  value  can  be  made. 

CHAW  B  IN  JOT  WATER  PLANS. 

A  comparison  of  the  gage  bights  at  Yuma,  using,  ten 
year  periods,  beginning  with  1878,  shews  that  the  average  low 

water  plane,  up  to  the  latter  part  of  1909,  has  gradually 
risen: 

I  Average  elevation  of  low  water  plane  -  1878-88-114-5  feet 

"  M  »  «  h  M  a  1890-89-116.6  tr 

M  "  ”*»*»«•-  1900-09-117.4  if 

(  See  hydrograph  herewith ) 

A  remarkable  exception  is,  however,  to  be  noted  in  the  low  water 
plane  at  the  end  of  the  year  1909,  following  the  great  flood  of 
that  year.  It  was  8.8  feet  lower  than  any  of  the  six  proceed¬ 
ing  years,  including  the  years  of  the  groat  Colorado  river  break. 


... 


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It  was  lower  than  any  of  the  preceding  twenty  years  by  1.7  feet, 

\ 

and  lower  than  any  of  the  precleclng  thirty  years,  excepting  only 

the  years  1879,  1883  and  1885,  the  first  of  which  was  still  lower 
by  0.8  of  a  foot. 

This  lowering  of  the  low  water  plana  in  1909,  has  been 

attributed  to  a  « cutting  back**  from  the  break  in  the  Colorado 

« 

river,  which  now  flows  down  the  Abejas  river.  This  la  evidently 
a  mistake.  There  is  no  evidence  of  any  anting  back  in  the 
main  river,  following  the  breaks  of  1905-6,  which  were  much 
nearer  to  the  Yuma  gaging  station. 

Then,  too,  the  fact  that  previous  years  show  even 
lower  low  water  planes  without  any  great  breaks  in  the  river, 
would  indicate  that  some  other  cause  must  be  sought. 

Since  the  last  ten  year  period  shows  an  average  ele¬ 
vation  of  the  low  water  plane  of  8.9  feet  aboye  that  of  the 
first  ten  year  period,  the  depression  at  the  end  of  1909  becomes 
much  more  marked  than  any  that  have  previously  occurred  since 


record  of  stag  begHn. 


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Two  higher  floods  than  that  of  isk>8  have  been  recorded, 
one  in  1891,  and  the  other  in  1905,  hut  they  were  of  very  short 
duration,  and  it  is  altogether  probable  that  the  maximum  dischar¬ 
ge  of  1909,  which  reached  149,500  second  feet,  exceeded  in  volume 
any  of  the  floods  of  the  previous  thirty  years. 

The  flood  of  1909  was  the  first  to  be  influenced  by 
the  Laguna  dam  and  its  basin,  covering  some  ten  square  miles, 
which  was  completed  in  the  Spring  of  t!mt  year. 

The  flood  water  was  stored  to  such  an  extent  as  to 
leave  a  considerable  portion  of  the  sediment  therein  before  mov¬ 
ing  on  down  the  river.  With  a  lighter  load  and  higher  flood 
velocity,  unusual  soouring  effect  on  the  bed  and  banks  might  be 
expected.  This,  coupled  with  the  unusual  magnitude  of  the 
flood,  and  the  effect  of  the  levees  which  oonfined  it  to  the 
channel,  readily  aocount  for  the  excessive  depression  of  the  hed, 
which  was  followed  by  the  low  water  plane. 

Unfortunately,  no  sediment  observations  were  made  at 
Yuma  during  the  flood  of  1909 1  and  this  mean8  of  verifying  the 
assumed  influence  of  the  r^aguna  basin  is  not  available. 


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44 


LOWERING  OF  BED  OF  RIVER  DUS  TO  "CUTTING  RACK" 

That  there  has  been  no  cutting  bach  from  the  Abekas 
river  during  the  sumner  of  1910  is  clearly  shown  by  the  slope 


diagram  plate  8,  the  elevations  for  which  were  taken  at  fre- 
quent  intervals  following  the  flood  of  1910.  The  Colorado 
river  proper  was  left  dry  for  thr  first  time  in  September,  190S, 


due  to  the  Abejas  breah,  which  developed  as  a  permanent  outlet 


with  the  flood  of  that  year. 

Superficial  observations  in  the  vioinity  of  where 
the  channel  has  abandoned  its  old  bed  for  a  new  route  with  a 
steeper  slope,  are  apt  to  give  an  exaggerated  idea  of  the 
depression  of  the  new  bed. 


The  change  in  the  direction  of  flow  occurs  at  a  high 
stage  of  river,  when  the  beds  of  both  streams  are  elevated  above 
the  normal,  and  the  effect  of  the  outlet  is  to  contribute  still 
larger  deposits  to  the  bed  of  the  depleted  stream ,  due  to  a 
diminished  velocity  therein. 

After  the  low  water  stage  is  reached,  it  is  seen 
that  the  dry  water  bed  is  several  feet  above  the  bed  of  the 


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45 


flowing  stream  and  this  is  generally  given  as  the  measure  of 
the  cutting  down  of  the  bed  at  that  point,  due  to  the  outlet. 
This,  however,  is  not  the  case.  If  the  river  had  continued 
to  flow  In  its  own  bed,  it  would  itself  have  been  out  down  de- 
|  cidedly  with  the  advent  of  low  water,  following  the  law  of  ail 
sedimentary  streams.  The  best  tangible  measure  of  the  lower- 
ing  of  the  bed  is  the  relative  bights,  above  water  surface,  of 
the  average  high  water  banks,  Immediately  above  and  below  the 
point  of  diversion.  The  lower  portion  of  the  dry  bed  at  the 
■break  is  only  5  feet  above  the  present  low  water  surface. 

portion  of  the  stream  flowing  over  a  new  and 
steeper  slop©  win  ultimately  reaoh  a  grade  commensurate  with 
the  material  in  which  it  flows,  and  the  proportion  of  sediment 
which  it  carries  and  the  normal  slope  of  the  stream  will  be 
equalized,  both  by  filling  and  raising  up  the  lower  end  of  the 
steeper  portion  and  the  cutting  back  for  an  indeterminate  dis¬ 
tance  upstream.,  in  the  case  of  the  present  break,  the  steep 
Portion  of  the  slope  is  largely  neutralized  by  excessive 
curvature  in  the  stream  and  by  sediment  deposition  along  the 


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lower  reaches  thereof. 


b6 


The  cutting  back  if  it  reached  the  Colorado  might 
in  extreme  cases,  easily  depress  the  low  water  plane  to  such  an 
extent  at  the  Imperial  Canal  intake  as  to  leave  the  sill  of  the 
headgates  above  water. 

This  would,  of  course,  be  disastrous  to  the  present 
works  for  supplying  water  to  Imperial  Valley.  No  such  dai  ger 
from  the  Abekas  is  imminent  so  long  as  the  flow  is  toward  the 
Gulf  of  California. 

Even  this  could  be  remedied  in  time  by  constructing 
new  controlling  works  and  headgates  with  a  much  lower  sill  at 
a  point  about  a  mile,  or  so,  above  the  present  headgates,  where 
the  river  washes  the  foot  of  bluffs  of  st£>  le  material.  The 
proposed  gates  to  be  served  with  water  direct  from  the  river 
without  the  use  of  an  intake  which  serves  as  a  catch  basin  for 
drift  and  silt. 

To  make  this  position  secure,  the  left  bank  of  the 
river  should  be  fixed  by  means  of  suitable  revetment;  Or,  the 
intake  might  be  carried  to  Laguna  Dam,  as  has  often  been  discussed. 


£*?*<*?  OT  OUTLETS  OR  BREAKS  WHICH  RETURN  TO_  TIDgWATBB. 

Any  diversion  of  the  Colorado  river  that  occurs  so  far 
below  the  head  of  the  Delta  as  to  carry  its  waters  to  th?  Oulf 
of  California,  even  with  a  slope  much  above  the  normal,  for  a 
few  miles,  can  have  little  or  no  Injurious  effect  on  the  Laguna 
dam,  as  such  minor  cutting  hack  if  any  could  readily  be  arrested 
at  Yuma,  where  a  hard  stratum  is  to  be  found  not  far  below  the 
high  water  bed*  The  cost  of  such  a  defensive  structure  would  be 
nominal,  as  compared  with  the  cost  of  closing  a  break  in  the 
river  and  constructing  a  levee  down  to  tidewater. 

An  examination  of  plate  5  shows  this  hard  formation, 
on  which  rock  could  be  placed  to  a  highi  necessary  to  neutralize 
the  effect  of  the  »cut  back”  ,  if  need  be. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  borings  further  down  stream, 
as  far  as  Pilot  Knob,  might  reach  this  hard  stream,  at  reason¬ 
able  depth. 

It  must  be  understood,  however,  that  for  an  outlet 
which  would  reach  the  great  depth  of  Salto n  Sink  and  the  exces- 


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47 


sive  3l ore  indidental  thereto,  the  «out  bacfc«  would  become  a 

very  serious  menace  to  structures  on  the  river  for  a  long  dis¬ 
tance  upstream. 

Ana  It  is  this  major  danger  which  must  be  safeguarded 
in  the  interests  of  Imperial  Valley,  as  even  those  outlets  far 
downstream  would  build  sub-deltas,  which  in  a  brief  space  of 
time  might  reaoh  such  height  as  to  overtop  the  defenses  to  the 
northward  and  thus  divert  the  water  to  the  Salton  basin. 

The  speojacle  of  the  New  river  gorge,  80  feet  deep  , 
and  a  thousand  feet  wide,  eroding  its  way  upstream  at  the  rate 
of  15  miles  per  month,  as  it  did  in  1906,  was  m  object  lesson 
to  the  people  of  Imperial  Valley,  not  easy  to  forget,  and  they 
have  ample  reasons  for  dreading  a  recurrence  of  such  a  catastro¬ 
phe.  Had  it  reached  the  Colorado  river,  it  would  certainly 
have  lowered  the  bed  to  such  an  extent  that  irrigation  there- 
from  would  have  been  impr act! cable. 

■METHODS  WK 1 0 H  HAVE  BEEN  PROPOSED  FOR  PROTECTING 

IMPERIAL  VALLEY. 


One  method  of  flood  control,  which  has  been  carried 


■ 

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48 


out  in  a  measure  by  the  California  Development  Company,  is  the 
construction  of  a  line  of  levee,  which  turns  back  from  the  river 
at  a  point  about  6  miles  below  th/  International  Boundary  lino, 
and  runs  in  a  southwesterly  direction.  This  levee  is  finished 
to  a  height  of  ^ive-feet  above  high  water  for  a  distance  of  14 

miles.  It  is  covered,  with  grayel  and  carries  a  railroad.  track 

upon  it. 

Prom  the  end  of  this  levee,  there  is  in  incomplete 
line  for  a  distance  of  about  11  miles  farther.  This  line 
was  constructed  in  the  spring  of  1910,  and  is  deficient  in  both 
hight  and  section. 

If  the  levee  line  had  been  carried  down  along  the 

river,  at  the  time  the  upper  section  was  built,  it  would  have 

reached  a  point  about  6  miles  below  the  present  Abejas  outlet 

and  no  break  there  would  have  occurred.  At  the  end  of  the  levee, 

the  flood  hight  would  be  about  25  feet  lower  than  the  fiaod 

hight  where  the  present  levee  turns  back,  which  Is  equivalent 
to  a  reduction  of  flood  hight  to  that  extent  in  the  territory 

which  the  present  levee  was  Intended  to  protect. 


. 


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4D 


There  is  a  gap  of  10  miles, to  the  west  end  of  the 
Volcano  Lake  levee,  which  is  about  7  miles  in  length,  and  ter- 
minates  at  the  high  ground  west  of  Volcano  Lake.  This  latter 
levee  is  also  too  low  to  meet  emergencies  that  might  occur  at 
any  flood  stage  of  river.  Where  this  levee  crosses  New  river, 
flood  gates  with  concrete  abiitments  are  provided  but  have 
been  rendered  useless  by  a  loop  constructed  around  them  by 
order  of  the  Mexican  Government# 


Pt  has  been  suggested  that  this  line  should  be  com¬ 
pleted  to  the  proper  grade  and  the  Abekas  break  be  allowed  to 
flow  on  unmolested.  This  would  undoubtedly  protect  Imper¬ 
ial  Valley  from  floods  for  a  short  time;  but  it  only  solves 
part  of  the  problem,  and  even  that  but  temporarily. 

The  effect  of  any  cutting  back  in  the  Abe j as,  which 

. 

might  develop  to  such  proportions  as  to  lower  the  bed  of  the 
Colorado  river  below  the  sill  at  tte  headgates,  would  receive 
no  check  by  suoh  construction. 

That  even  the  flood  control  would  be  of  short  duration, 
can  be  seen  when  we  realise  that  the  levee  is  built  down  into 


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a  basin,  which  has  a  slope  of  some  8  feet  in  a  mile,  and  that 
this  basin  itself  would  in  a  brief  period  of  time  be  raised 
by  deposits  on  the  sub-delta  of  the  Abejas,  which  is  limited  in 
area,  so  that  any  levees  of  practicable  hight  would  be  over¬ 
topped.  it  is  related  that  during  the  brief  interval  between 
the  preliminary  profile  and  the  construction  of  the  Inter 
California  Railway,  the  deposit  of  sediment  had  raised  the  line 

several  feet.  This  shows  how  ineffectual  an  Interior  level 
line  may  be. 

Mor*  than  likely,  some  newly  developed  branch  of  the 
Abejas,  attracted  by  the  steeper  slope  to  the  northward,  would 
again  find  a  route  for  the  Colorado  river  to  the  depths  of 
the  Salton  Sink. 

As  this  proposed  method  only  temporarily  solves 

one  phase  of  the  problem,  it  may  well  be  rejected  as  inade¬ 
quate. 

Another  remedy,  which  has  been  proposed,  is  to  confine 
the  work  to  a  closure  of  the  break,  and  restore  the  river  to  its 
former  channel.  This,  also,  would  prove  of  temporary  value, 


. 


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but  another  break  would  be  sure  to  ocour  in  the  very  near  fut¬ 
ure  -  perhaps  with  the  next  great  flood  -  and  the  expense  of 

/ 

making  the  closure  would  not  be  justified. 

A  critical  study  of  the  whole  situation,  in  all  its 
bearings,  leads  to  the  conclusion  that  the  protection  of  lands 
and  property  in  Imperial  Vail  ley  requires  that  the  Colorado  riv- 
wr  be  restored  to  Its  former  channel  and  that  an  effective  line 
oi  levee  for  flood  control  be  constructed  from  a  point  on  the 
California  Development  Company's  levee,  about  $  miles  below  the 
International  Boundary  line,  and  following  along  down  stream  at 
a  distance  of  about  5000  feet  from  the  westerly  bends  of  the 
river  for  such  distance  as  will  carry  the  flood  hight  down 
to  an  elevation  below  the  intervening  land  in  the  vicinity  of 
Volcano  lake,  a  diversion  of  the  stream  occurring  below  such 
point  would  result  in  the  water  reaching  the  Gulf  of  California 
and  the  tendency  to  flow  northward  would  be  eliminated. 

Such  a  lefcea  will  be  about  25  miles  long  and  will 
require  about  1,500,000  yards  of  earth  work  and  450  acres  of 
olearing  and  grubbing.  To  complete  this  large  amount  of  work 


‘ 


■ 


■ 


V  i  /:  ,<  •  •£  t>-  cS  £  • 


' 


■ 


before  the  spring  floods,  will  require  the  use  of  520  scrapers, 
witn  double  team  of  mules,  estimating  each  scraper  at  40  cubic 

yards  per  day  of  ten  hours •  The  end  of  the  levee  would  be  about 
20  miles  above  tide  water. 

The  levee  should  be  built  to  a  grade  of  5  feet  above 
high  water,  this  hight  being  specified  for  the  purpose  of  having 
excess  material,  wherewith  to  remedy  deterioration  rather  than 
any  fear  of  overtopping  from  floods.  Neither  railroad  traclc, 
nor  gravel  covering  for  levee  are  recommended,  for  it  is  believed 
to  be  more  important  to  extend  the  levee  as  far  as  practicable, 
rather  than  dissipate  available  fund3  for  mere  convenience  of 
maintenance.  These  can  be  added  later,  if  thought  desirable. 

The  crown  should  be  8  feet  wide  and  the  side  slopes 
one  on  three  and  a  berm  width  of  40  feet  should  tee  left  between 
toe  of  slope  and  edge  of  borrow  pit,  which  must  be  on  the  river 
side  of  the  levee. 

The  borrow  pit  should  not  exceed  2  feet  in  depth,  at 
the  side  next  to  the  levee,  and  then  slope  gradually  to  the  far¬ 
ther  limit.  Traverses  50  feet  in  width  should  be  left  across 


■  1 '  4 


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53 


the  borrow  pit,  at  intervals  of  about  400  feet.  The  entire 
ground  covered  by  the  levee  must  be  cleared  of  roots  and  stumps, 
to  auch  depth  aa  will  eliminate  danger  from  seepage  under  the 
levee.  A  muck  ditch  of  such  depth  aa  will  reach  through  the 
cracked  adobe  soil,  even  to  the  extent  of  several  feet,  must  be 
constructed  under  the  axis  of  the  levee  and  filled  in  with 
clean  selected  material,  well  tramped  by  the  scraper  teams. 

Other  details  of  construction  will  be  covered  in  spec¬ 
ifications,  when  bids  are  called  for. 

A  large  proportion  of  the  lower  part  of  the  Colorado 
delta  is  now  utilised  for  grazing  purposes ,the  California-Mex- 
ico  Ranch  Co.  having  18000  head  of  cattle  therein. 

The  periodic  overflows  supply  the  moisture  needed 
to  develop  luxurious  pasturage  and  fills  the  water  holes  to 
supply  the  cattle. 

The  construction  of  the  levee  proposed  will  destroy 
tnj s  automatic  process  of  watering  the  tract,  as  gates  or  open¬ 
ings  in  a  levee  of  this  character  cannot  be  recommended.  This 
can i  however,  be  realised  in  a  more  certain  and  simple  way,  by 


_ _ _ _ - — - - 


.  .  .  •  ^  ■  * ; 


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. 


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putting  a  waste  gate  in  the  south  side  of  Imperial  canal,  where 
it  approaches  tear  the  former  bed  of  the  Paredones,  and  flood 
the  tract  from  there,  via  the  stream  named,  during  flood 
stages  of  the  Colorado. 

As  it  is  now,  only  the  high  overflow  stages  reach  the 
upper  portions  of  the  pasturage  tract.  Using  the  means  sug¬ 
gested,  through  the  Imperial  head  gates,  at  times  when  the 

water  is  abundant,  would  insure  an  annual  supply  of  the  magni¬ 
tude  required. 

The  space  between  the  levee  and  the  river  could  be 
used  for  grazing,  and  also  a  large  area  below  the  end  of  the 
levee.  So,  on  the  whole,  the  levee  should  not  be  seriously 
objectionable,  even  to  the  cattlemen.  Then,  too,  the  soil 
is  so  productive  that  cultivation  must  be  resorted  to  in  the 
near  future,  and  a  canal  along  the  lines  named  would  supply  the 
necessary  water.  In  short,  a  levee  is  essential  to  any 
scheme  of  cultivation  in  this  portion  of  the  delta. 


. 


„  '  -.■•a'  1  ?  ‘ 


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55 


fr 

CLOSURE  OF  THE  BREAK  AND  DIVERSION  OF  THE 


FATBR  BACK  TO  THE  BED  OF  COLORADO  RIVER# 


,  The  break  is  on  the  right  bank,  about  20  mi lea  by 


river  below  the  California  Mexican  Boundary  line  and  some  five 
miles  from  the  end  of  the  track  on  the  levee.  It  will,  there- 
fore,  be  necessary  to  extend  the  track  in  order  to  bring  the 
.necessary  material  to  the  point  required. 


At  this  time,  the  entire  flow  of  the  river  goes  down 


a  high  water  outlet  of  long  standing,  known  as  the  Abe j as  river, 

-* 

and  finds  its  way  down  the  Peaoadero  and  other  channels  to  the 


Haidy  river,  and  thence  down  to  its  Junction  with  the  Colorado 


river.  In  Its  passage  to  the  Hardy  the  silt  Is  practically 


all  eliminated  and  this  deposit  is  rapidly  raising  the  foot 


of  the  steep  slope  with  the  result  that  a  slope  line  is  devel 


oped  which  is  not  greatly  in  excess  of  normal  river  slope. 


As  near  as  can  be  measured  from  the  data  at  hand, 


the  present  route  to  tidewater,  via  the  Abejas  river.  Volcano 


Lake,  Paredones  and  Hardy  rivers,  is  about  ?  miles  shorter  than 


by  the  Colorado  river. 


1 


"  7. 


<  ' 


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VH 


t.  J 


1 

■ 


. 

- 


56 


The  8 lope  of  the  Hardy  river  la  much  flatter  than  that 
of  the  Colorado , whence  the  tide  runs  farther  up*  Mean  tide  would 
reach  about  the  mouth  of  the  Pescadero,  on  the  Hardy,  and  measur¬ 
ing  to  that  point,  the  distances  by  the  two  routes  would  be 
practically  the  sarre. 

The  crossing  for  the  closure  will  be  about  2000  feet 
down  the  Abe j as,  where  a  trestle  about  1000  feet  long  will  be 
required*  The  distance  between  the  high  water  banks  being  2100 
feet  art.  the  present  channel  width  550  feet.  This  will  be  the 
ordinary  standard  railway  trestle,  with  4  pile  bents,  spaced 
16  feet  between  centers.  The  piles  will  be  driven  to  a  pene- 

•  f 

t rat  ion  of  20  feet,  or  more,  where  required* 

The  entire  crossing  will  then  be  uniformly  blanketed 
with  run  of  quarry  rock  from  Pilot  Knob,  some  25  miles  distant. 
The  rock  will  be  hauled  in  and  dumped  from  battleship  cars,  of 
50  cubic  yards  capacity  each,  and  dumping  will  be  continued  un¬ 
til  the  water  level  is  raised,  so  as  to  run  down  the  old  river 
bed  and  the  dam  will  be  finished  up  to  the  grade  of  the  ad¬ 
jacent  levee 8,  with  which  it  will  connect. 


■ 


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57 


The  dam  will  have  a  top  width  of  20  feet  and  side 
slopes  of  1  on  8. 

As  the  break  lies  in  a  sharp  bend  of  the  river  the 

dars  must  be  placed  well  clown  the  Abejas  in  order  to  prevent 

* 

its  early  destruction  by  erosion.  On  this  account  the  work 
will  be  somewhat  more  difficult  than  closing  a  break  in  a 
straight  reach  as  has  been  done  heretofore. 

The  width  of  the  channel  at  the  crossing  is  at  pre- 

sent  550  feet,  and  the  maximum  hight  of  the  dam  for  a  short  dis¬ 
tance  will  be  20  feet  up  to  grade.  Assuming  a  settling,  or 

shrink agetof  one-third,  the  dan  will  require  about  67,000  cu- 

1 

bio  yards  of  material  in  its  construction,  under  conditions  as 
they  now  are.  Intervening  flood  conditions  may  radically 
change  these  figures. 

^  the  closure  could  be  effected  at  a  stage  of  river 
like  the  present,  no  difficulty  need  be  anticipated,  but  a  sudden 
rise  in  the  midst  of  the  work  might  result  in  serious  complica¬ 
tions  and  the  destruction  of  the  work  in  progress. 


The  closures  should  be  commenced  at  the  earliest 


' 


{■H 
■ 


. 


■ 

■ 

. 


■ 

, 

I 


practicable  date,  In  order  to  take  advantage  of  the  probable 


low  water  season* 

If  the  work  oould  be  done  at  a  very  low  stage,  the 
whole  operation  of  closure  Eight  be  economically  handled  in  the 
dry,  by  utilising  the  temporary  dare,  just  below  the  Intake, 
raising  It  to  the  required  bight  with  ballasted  willow  Bats ,  so 
as  to  divert  all  of  the  water  through  the  concrete  head  gates, 
which  have  a  capacity  of  10,000  cubic  feet  per  second,  down  to 

I  a  spillway  leading  to  the  Paredonis  channel.  This  would  very 
materially  simplify  the  whole  problem,  but  like  any  other  method 
of*  closure,  would  be  subject  to  serious  damage  by  floods,  which 
might  come  during  any  stage  of  the  work.  Its  suocess  would 
require  a  very  low  stage  of  river  for  perhaps  ten  days.  The 
oanal  between  the  head  gates  and  the  suggested  spillway  would 

1 

be  expected  to  enlarge  by  sluicing  out  the  sedimentary  deposits, 
which  have  reduced  its  capacity  to  a  marked  extent,  and  this, 
of  itself,  would  be  highly  beneficial  to  the  supply  system  of 


the  canal. 


.  j  ,  M 


A . 


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, 

■  tl  itjifll 

,  i  ■ 

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59 


INTERESTS  AFFECTED  BY  THfi  PROPOSED  IMPROVEMENT  ^ORK . 

First:  The  people  of  the  Imperial  Valley  are  vitally 
interested*  since  their  very  existence  depends  on  the  maintenance 
of  a  barrier  that  will  effectually  prevent  the  Colorado  river 

from  invading  the  Salton  Basin.  The  appropriation  made  by 

/ 

Congress  is  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  lands  and  property 
in  Imperial  Valley  but  incidentally  other  interests  will  be 
largely  benefited  by  any  work  that  may  be  done. 

Second :  The  California  Development  Company*  and  its 
Mexican  Associate  Company*  wh’oh  must  have  stable  river  condi¬ 
tions*  in  order  to  successfully  carry  out  its  obligations  to 
supply  water  to  the  various  water  companies  in  Imperial  Valley 
and  Mexico. 

Third •  The  Southern  Pacific  Railway  Company,  which 
receives  large  revenues  from  the  transportation  of  the  people, 
the  products  of  the  Valley  and  the  supplies  required  therein. 

They  also  have  a  direct  interest  as  holders  of  bonds  and.  judg¬ 
ment  for  a  large  amount*  covering  land  holdings  of  the  Mexioan 


■■■I 


' '  f  I 


1  *■  i  ’ 


. 


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•ft-ri  tx  ?© 


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/ 

•  •  •  •  ' 

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. 

. 


.'■V' 

ntrofa*  '  * 

• 

4 

;  b*  rrt 

■ 


60 

side  of  the  Development  Company.  They  are  interested  in  the 

prosperity  of  the  California  Development  Company,  in  order  that 

they  may  repay  the  cash  advances  and  other  obligations. 

Fourth:  The  property  owners  on  the  south  side 

of  the  boundary  line,  in  Mexico,  whose  lands  could  never  be 
brought  under  successful  cultivation  without  effective  flood 
control.  Large  areas,  now  flooded,  such  as  Volcano  Lake,  cov¬ 
ering  perhaps  100  square  miles,  now  worthless,  would  be  reclaimed 
for  cultivation. 

The  case  of  the  Colorado  River  Land  Company  differs 

from  that  of  the  other  parties  interested  in  the  proposed 

improvement,  in  that  the  right  of  way  for  a  levee  must  pass 

through  their  lands  and  furthermore  a  levee  will  interrupt  to 

a  certain  extent  the  natural  irrigation  from  floods  which 

they  now  have.  So  here  the  questions  of  betterment  and  possible 

damage  are  entitled  to  consideration. 

This  Company  is  said  to  own  6&6000  acres  of  land 

in  the  lower  part  of  the  Colorado  delta.  At  least  one  third 

of  the  northern  portion  of  this  land  is  not  watered  to  any 
valuable  extent  by  ordinary  floods  and  the  most  valuable  area 


61 


for  forage  Ilea  In  the  lower  half  of  the  remaining  portion  of 
the  tract* 

It  la  proposed  to  carry  the  leye©  down  far  enough  so 
that  any  tendency  of  the  river  below  the  end  of  the  levee  to 
follow  outlets  to  the  westward  will  be  minimized  and  even  a 

| 

breaK  would  not  become  a  menace  to  the  lands  and  property  in 

* 

Imperial  Valley  as  the  flood  control  would  reach  within  20  miles 
of  tide  water  .where  the  maximum  flood  hight  Is  about  the  same 

I  as  that  of  volcano  lahe. 

The  area  between  the  end  of  the  levee,  the  mouth  of 

o  '.-i 

the  Hardy,  the  Colorado  river  and  the  Cocopah  ranve  covers 

I  about  265000  acres  which  will  not  be  materially  affected  by 
the  levee  and  this  area  covers  the  best  of  the  forage  tract  now 
devoted  to  cattle. 

Between  the  two  tracts  described,  lies  an  area 
which  under  normal  conditions  has  been  flooded  to  a  greater 
or  less  extent  at  high  stages. 


The  maximum  flood  volume  at  Yuma  for  the  past  S  years 


. 


. 


» 

’ 


I  TL 


f  t/om 


■ 


. 


,t' 


62 


are  as  follow a • 


DATE* 

DISOKABOR. 

GAGE  HEIGHT 

June 

26, 

1903  • 

70,000 

27.70 

June 

?, 

1904. 

51,000 

26*00 

June 

19, 

1905. 

94,300 

29.15 

June 

87, 

1906. 

98  ,200. 

28.10 

June 

30, 

1907. 

115,400. 

28.40 

June 

26, 

1808. 

61 ,700. 

25.30 

June 

24, 

1909. 

149,500. 

30.75 

May 

24, 

1910. 

70,300* 

2? .  00 

It  is  Relieved  that  to  flood  this  middle  tract  to 
such  extent  as  to  be  materially  beneficial,  the  flood  volume 

must  reach  at  least  *75,000  cubic  feet  per  second  and  It  will 
be  seen  from  the  table  that  during  only  half  of  the  years 
has  this  condition  been  realised.  Ye$  it  Is  lively  that  to 

#  "  V 

wholly  exclude  the  flood  waters  from  this  tract  will  deplete 
to  a  material  extent  the  area  that  Is  now  used  advantag eously 
for  cattle.  So  here  is  the  measure  of  the  possible  Injury  to 
tbe  company  arising  from  the  exclusion  of  floods. 

Mention  should  also  be  made  of  the  lands  which  will 
lie  between  the  levee  and  the  river.  Thi ■*  land  will  doubtless 


62 


b©  flooded  every  year  with  rare  exception©  and  hence  should 
be  prolific  in  forage  suitable  for  cattle »  so  the  damage  here 
may  properly  be  regarded  as  nominal. 

Having  enumerated  the  possible  damages  arising  from 
eliminating  the  overflow  it  is  proper  to  consider  the  benefits 
accruing  to  the  Colorado  Flyer  f.and  Company  therefrom. 

In  the  first  place  It  is  highly  improbable  that  this 
vast  fertile  tract  of  over  £00000  acres  will  be  long  deyoted 
to  ©took  raising.  At  the  present  time  there  is  about  25  acres 
to  each  head  of  stock  on  the  range. 

Under  irrigation  and  cultivation  this  25  acres 
would  yield  about  1225  bushels  of  barley  or  250  tons  of  Alfalfa 
so  there  is  every  inducement  to  change  to  cultivation  as  rapid¬ 
ly  as  conditions  will  permit. 

Cultivation  to  any  considerable  extent  without  flood 
control  by  means  of  a  levee  is  impracticable  both  on  account 
of  the  protection  of  the  irrigation  system  and  the  protection 
for  the  crops  from  direct  flood  damages. 


„  V, 

I 

n,  'III Of 


V 


' 

I 

V 


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■  v.  V 


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st  x 


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• 

, 


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r 


Tft©  const ruct  1  on  of*  the  lev©©  therefor©  becomes  of* 
substantial  benefit  to  the  Colorado  River  Land  Company  In  this 
respect. 

Furthermore  the  exclusion  of  floods  from  the  Volcano 
La&e  district  will  reclaim  65000  acres  or  more  which  is  now 
wholly  valueless. 

So  on  the  whole  it  seems  clear  that  the  betterments 
far  outweigh  such  injury  as  may  be  properly  chargeable  to 
works  for  flood  control. 

These  are  rather  matters  that  should  be  adjusted 
by  and  between  the  local  interests  in  order  that  the  projected 
work  be  not  delayed  which  might  even  jeopardise  the  expendi¬ 
ture  of  the  money  appropriated. 

Fifth:  The  Government  of  Mexico  will  receive  sub¬ 

stantial  benefit,  since  the  proposed  Improvement  will  make  it 
possible  to  change  a  very  large  tract,  which  now  affords  meagre 
pasturage  for  comparatively  few  cattle,  to  a  state  of  culti¬ 
vation,  which  will  bring  returns  of  many  dollars  per  acre,  and 
these  revenues  will  add  materially  $o  the  prosperity  of  our 


Iff 


' 


•  : 


65 


sister  Republic. 

Sixth:  Works  for  effective  flood  control  will  contri¬ 
bute  in  a  measure  to  the  safety  of  the  structures  built  by  the 
United  States  at  great  expense,  for  agricultural  development 

V 

of  Yuma  valley  and  the  anxiety  heretofore  felt  for  the  safety 
of  Laguna  dan,  when  breaks  of  the  Colorado  have  occurred,  will 
be  effectually  set  at  rest. 

R3CQMM5KDATI0HS 

In  accordance  with  the  investigations  made  and  the 

conclusions  reached  therefrom,  I  have  the  honor  to  recommend 

* 

the  closure  of  the  Abejas  river  so  as  to  divert  the  flow  of 
the  Colorado  river  back  to  its  former  bed. 

The  construction  of  a  line  of  levee  southward 

* 

‘yvvvx^'' 

from  a  point  on  the  California  Development  levee  about 
miles  south  of  the  head  gates  and  following  along  the  river 
at  a  distance  of  about  ?000  feet  west  of  the  westerly  bendj 
down  to  the  proposed  diversion  dam  aoross  Abejas  river  and 
continue  the  same  to  a  point  about  42  miles  by  river  below 
the  head  gates  at  Hanlons  a  total  length  of  levee  of  about 


* 


'19  ft  t  Httf# 


. 


- 


■ 


' 

•  •  . 

' 

-■ 

’ 


25  miles. 


A  break  below  the  lower  terminus  of  the  proposed 
levee  would  be  so  near  the  Gulf  of  California  that  there  need 
be  no  fear  of  the  Colorado  river  reaching  the  Salton  sink  from 
that  locality. 

These  recommendations  are  baaed  on  the  supposition 
that  the  right  of  way  for  access  to  the  break  and  on  which  to 
constiuct  the  proposed  levee  will  be  granted  to  the  United 
States  free  of  cost  as  is  the  practice  on  the  Mississippi  river 
on  similar  work. 

The  break  must  be  closed  during  the  low  water  season 
and  the  entire  work  must  be  completed  before  the  arrival  of 
the  usual  spring  floods.  Active  construction  must  therefore  begin 
at  a  very  early  date  and  the  necessary  negotiations  with  the 
Mexican  Government  should  therefore  be  concluded  with  the 
least  possible  delay. 

My  acknowledgements  are  due  to  Mr  F.  L.  Sellew, 

Project  engineer  of  the  Keclamation  service,  who  has  rendered 


substantial  assistance  in  many  ways  which  materially  facilitated 


ll  IJ'* 


' 


67 


my  work  and  did  much  to  mitigate  the  hardships  incident  to 

field  work  in  the  summer  in  a  aeotion  where  very  high  tempera¬ 
tures  are  common. 

To  Mr  F,  H •  Holabird,  Receiver  of  the  California 
Development  Company  and  his  chief  engineer,  c*K.  Clarke;  Mr 
D.  o.  Anderson  of  the  Colorado  River  Land  Company;  Mr  w#  k. 
Bowker  of  the  C-M  Ranch  Company  and  the  officials  of  the  sev¬ 
eral  water  companies  in  Imperial  Galley  my  thanks  are  due  for 
prompt  response  to  my  many  requests  for  information  as  to 
their  respective  fields  of  work. 


Respectfully  submitted 


Hon.  Frank  Pierce 

Assistant  Secret  am/  of  the  Interior 


Washington,  d.c. 


List  of  Haps  and  Plates  to  accompany  report  of 
J.  A.  Ockerson,  Consulting  engineer  on  the  Protection  of  Lands 
and  Property  in  Imperial  Valley,  Oal. 

Map  No.  1  -  Map  of  the  Colorado  Delta  and  Imperial  Valley. 

Map  No.  2  -  Map  of  the  Colorado  Biver  survey  of  Aug-Sept  1910. 

Plate  v"  1  -  Imperial  Canal  Intake. 

”  v  2  -  Temporary  dam  and  Trestle. 

*»  S  -  Photograph  of  present  dam. 

*•  4  -  Slope  diagram  of  Outlets. 

»»  V"  5  -  Cross-sections  showing  bed  rock  and  changes  in 

river  bed  due  floods. 

M  6  -  Changes  In  bank  line  of  Colorado  river  since  1873. 

"  *  7  -  Hydrograph  of  Salton  Sea. 

*»  S  8  -  Slope  diagram  of  Colorado  river  1910. 

M  ^  9  -  Hydrograph  of  Colorado  Elver  at  Yuma  1878-1910. 


LAGUNA  DAM 


frr/g*  Pvrtp  "fe* 


Colorado 


Gila 


*NO.Z 


ft!  If' 


t.  Power  PI  Ant 


Ivs.  ioh 


R.  22  W. 


~n  ai  w 


SOMEPTOrt 


RECLAMATION  SERVICE, U.S.G.S. 

Yuma  Project,  Arizona. 

— -RELIEF  MAP  SHOWING - 

Irrigable  Lands.  Proposed  Dam.  Canals. 
Levees  and  Pumping  Plants. 

•JUkY.  iaof, 

.  HorijonUI  Scalo  of  Miles. 


Vertical  Scale  to  Top  of  Mesa  100ft  - 1  Inch. 


R.  24  W. 


T.11S. 


flit  uBBAHT 

of  m 

UHTOMTI  OF  ILLINOIS 


An  old  Land-Mark  -  Yuma. 


A  street  in  Yuina. 


.11 


■■MB 


California  Development  Company  trestle  for 

temporary  diversion  dam  just  below  Canal 
Intake  at  Andrade,  Cal. 


Trestle  for  temporary  diversion  Dam  at 
heading  of  Imperial  Canal. 


r 


Leaving  Engineers’  Camp  for  work. 


Caving  Bank  and  destruction  of 
Arizona  side  below  Yuma. 


Levee , 


Bawker  -  Clark  -  Walter  and  Ockerson,  off  to 
explore  the  Hardy.  Temperature  120° . 


Concrete  Flood  gates  in  Volcano  Lake  Levee 
Crossing  New  River. 


If 


A  date  ranch, 


Imperial  Valley  <. 


El  Centro  High  School.  The  children  are  gathered 
from  a  wide  stretch  of  territory  and  carried 
to  and  from  school  in  a  public  Auto* 


C.  M.  Ranch  house  near  Calexico. 


department  op  the  interior 

I 

REPORT  OP 

J .  A.  QCKSRSON,  ENGINEER  IN  CHARGE 

ON  THE 

COLORADO  RIVER  FORK  IN  MEXICO 

*  i 

FOR  THE 

PROTECTION  OP  LANDS  AND  PROPERTY 

IN 

IMPERIAL  VALLEY,  CAL. 


MAY  20,  1911. 


&y  20,  1911. 


Sir: 

I  have  the  honor  to  submit  this  ray  report  on 
operations  along  the  lest  Bank  of  the  Colorado  River, 
for  the  rotootion  of*  hands  and  Property  in  Imperial 
Valley,  California,  as  provided  for  by  Joint  resolu¬ 
tion  of  Congress,  approved  June  25,  1910,  which  act 
recites: 


"Chat  the  sum  of  one  million  dollars,  or 
so  much  thereof  as  may  be  necessary,  is  here¬ 
by  appropriated,  out  of  any  money  in  the  Treas¬ 
ury  not  otherwise  appropriated,  to  be  expended 
by  the  resident  for  the  purpose  of  protecting 
the  lands  and  property  in  the  Imperial  Valley 
and  elsewhere  along  the  Colorado' River ,  within 
the  limits  of  the  United  states,  against  injury 
or  destruction  by  reason  of  the  changes  in  the 
channels  of  the  Colorado  River,  and  the  Presi¬ 
dent  is  authorised  to  expend  any  portion  of 
such  money  within  the  limits  of  the  Republic 
0?4.£*ex*C0  as  raa«>  3cera  proper  in  accordance 
with  such  agreements  for  the  pur  >ose  as  he  raav 
make  with  the  Republic  of  .Mexico." 


; 1 ' * ’ ' '<)  r  "T 


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*  1 


July  19 .  1910 f  th©  writer  was  summoned  to 
aohington,  having  been  designated  by  th©  'resident, 
'’Engineer  to  Investigate  Imperial  Valley  situation 
on  Colorado  reiver  near  bonne  ary  betv/eon  the  United 
States  and  jexioo  !*  The  Acting  Secretary  of  the 
Interior  had  outlined  to  t?ie  ^resident  the  condi¬ 
tions  in  Imperial  V  lley  in  the  following  terms 5 


.  i  ascertainment  of  what  is  necessary 
to  ho  done  for  t  c  purpose  of  accomplishing 
permanent  avoidance  of  these  recurring  menaces 
to  life  and  property  on  both  sides  of  the  in¬ 
ternational  Pound  ary  Cine  will  re  or.  Ire  a  thor- 
ough  examination  of  physical  cone itions  which. 
L  ,  ®  ^  t  f ve ,  ish  Oftld  have  the  c  o -  ope r r  t  i  on 

governments  and  will  consume  considor- 

in  V™  meant ims .  Engineer  Hill 
states  thut .  unless  prompt  relief  is  afforded 
a  water  shortap*  if  not  famino,  is  probable 
£Lj$°  Imperial  .alley  within  the  newt  two 
months.  In  a  country  where  the  heat  reaches 

°f  l20  dogroeo  and  even  higher, 
of  property  and  menace  to  both 

s  oh  V  !!«t,  lif°9  whloh  m?  ensto  should 

s.on  a  catastrophe  occur,  renders  it  imera- 

^lU\^Ar0mpt  raoeourd®  be  *•>»«  toward 
averting  the  some*  To  th  t  end  I  roa-  netful  i  - 

recoi  end  that  you  designate  an  engineer  hav- 

MntM?1t«Srlty  wit| :  protlono  involving  river 
TlTg  proceed  ismcUately  with  an  o  ari- 
na  ion  ,or  tno  purpose  of  dotorninin'  whether 

Btenaerflf®n0y  nnfl  lf  00.  to*  tnfce  the 

stops  necessary  to  avoid  the  sane." 


y  instructions  required 


a  report  as  to  whether 


0 


’tho  existing  emergency  Is  ouch  os  to  require  immediate 
action  and  If  so,  what  Is  nooesoary  to  be  done  to  acoora 
push  the  purpose  set  forth  in  the  resolution."  ?ho 
writer  was  also  required  to  "mate  appropriate  exaniaa- 
tion  upon  the  ground  and  recommend  the  course  which 
should  bo  pursued  to  prevent  injury  and  destruction  of 
property  in  t no  United  states  through  recurrence  of 
tho  elf.;  icultiea  whioh  had  heretofore  from  time  to  time 

arisen  by  reason  of  the  unreliability  of  the  course  of 

tho  Color; do  Hirer.” 

'• 

.  *  V. 

.liter  s  complete  investigation  of  tho  physical 
conditions,  covering  tho  months  of  August  and  September. 
1910»  a  re,  ort  was  made  under  dato  of  October  4,  1910, 
in  whioh  a  project  was  recommended  for  the  control  of 
the  Colorado  ,  iver,  and  it  was  also  urged  th- 1  the 

Wr!ir  b®  nndortttJc*a  et  earliest  practicable  date, 
as  a  reasonable  assurance  of  success  required  that  it 


4 


should  bo  dono  under  low  water  conditions.  The  neces¬ 
sity  of  prompt  negotiations  with  Ufexico  which  would  per¬ 
mit  operations  in  Mexican  territory  was  al3o  urged. 

)n  ilovombor  3,  1910,  the  writer  was  summoned  to 
!  ashington  for  conference  with  regard  to  securing  the 
necessary  plant,  co-operation  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
Company,  and  other  means  relating  to  the  prosecution  of 
the  work. 


ihe  following  summary  of  the  more  extended  project 
submitted  in  detail  in  my  report  of  October  4,  1910,  was 
prepared  by  direction  of  the  President  and  was  submitted 
to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  for  his  approval: 


"Washington,  D.  C.,  Hoveraber  4,  1910. 


"The  Secretary  of  tho  Interior. 

Sir: 

_  ~n  executing  the  work  for  the  protection 

oi  lands  and  property  in  Imperial  Valley,  in  ac¬ 
cordance  writh  the  recommendation  made  in  mv  re  art 
under  date  of  October  4.  1210,  X  have  the  honor  to 
reoom", end  that  a  levee  for  flood  control  be  con¬ 
structed  from  a  point  on  the  levee  of  the  Califor¬ 
nia  Development  Company  indicated  on  Map  Ho.  1  ac¬ 
companying  said  report,  down  stream  at  a  distance 


6 


oi  about  feet  xma t  of  the  westerly  bonds  of 

the  Colorado  Ivor  end  ostsnd inf  down  stream  a 
©  of  about  2b  alias* 

"in  genera l  terms  the  levee  a&y  be  described 

w™C2nV/5  2+feetNal?  0lo^a  1  «»  3*  end  width  of 
berm  40  ^  f e6t ,  all  of  Which  is  0  loallv  des¬ 
cribed^  in  epeoifi cations  hereto  attached* 

"ho  levee  to  be  constructed  by  contract  &£- 
^LwJSS*  auly  ^vortiood.  i'ati  mtea  coot  of  levee 

440  gOC/Q# 

t0  ^  o  Colorado  Ivor  to  be  node 

wita^  o^uiprior.t  which  is  to  be  furnished  by  the 
*outncrn  'aelfio  Camrany  at  rates  inf  orally  sub- 
mil,  >ct,  a,,  conference  held  with  the  resident  on 
4-ove?-ibcr  4*  1010 1  the  fomal  tor  ie  to  be  filed 
at  an  early  date. 

'To  brosfc  and  to  operate  the  quarry 

^i’'LroV^:f0  const  mot  ion  of  about  Devon  ’miles 
?.*  ?  trash  the  twporary  use  of 

S\xr«  traO'v  for  o  perioa  of  perhaps  60  dstyt-s# 

.  brca'2*  •  Pilo  treat!#  about"  1£00  feet 

loro  511!  ?e  and  an  earth  fill  about 

l  ;-^n§  «t  the  northerly  end  of  the  trestle* 

A  roclr  fill  dam  about  IBW  ffe-t  Xonr,  £0  feet 

tH«W£L  ***  |  J®  WiU  be  r#d# 

tn^h^^i'd,!lboddH‘:tvcLfro  ,1.  «*'•***•«»  at  .’Hot 
.jP  *  ‘ .  *P  from  tba  ^NKaoth  travel 

- i0<£?*  ©atioatod  cost  of  closure  oraitiinr 
possible  flood  losses  437$ *000* 

"Sha  material  for  track  and  treat  Xe  to  be  err- 
©nosed  after  due  advertisement  and  the  work  to  be 

tS*tiitSrstotSrf  ao  boinf>  mor° 000,1001061  f°r 

„h„ „in  t!w  left  bnafc  of  th»  river  imad  lately 
owvo  tnc  oret,-i  it  is  proposed  to  eieoavete  a  chan- 

Bn  norTLSl  f:v<T  bo4  •»»«**»#  to  about 

£09v>Q0  yards*  ot  tried  coat  £6000* 

Till  *,,r*>as®  to  <jiv*  aa  outlet  for  the 

water, before  much  head  develops  apeinot  the  dte, 

4  v 3  *  woo-rwnG  th.  t  the  ropsaad  work  be  car* 

r^ed  out  substantially  sc  above  outlined*"  x  x 

X  *  *  X  X  x 

(signed)  «?•  ,  *  ,>cker^onen 


m 


nla  project  was  approved  oa  ahown  by  tho  follow- 


in<r  letter  of  tho  Secretary  of  the  tutor  lor,  and  the 


v,:  ■  ■ 


... 


•  , 


A 


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V  , 


«  •  ■■■,  •  >  '•  ■ 

-*  i  '  '  ill  t  '  •-  -  £  *  : 


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6 


writer  was  designated  "Engineer  in  Charge",  to  execute 
the  work  aa  therein  outlined: 


vufmur 


JU  v»  J.V  • 


Sir: 

"There  is  submitted  herewith  the  report  and 
recoru  .endntions  of  Consulting  Kngineer  J.  .  ac- 
nerson,  of  da to  October  4,  1010*  covering  field 
03ca  inat  ion  a  nr,  plans  for  the  proposed  works  to 

tho  Imperial  Valley,  and  else- 
^-oro  in  tno  ifnited  states*  npziinst  overflow  and 
change  Qj.  course  of  the  Colorado,  pursuant  to 
appropriation  for  that  purpose  madc^  June  Pd ,  1^10: 
together  with  summary  of  said  report  of  date  'lo¬ 
ve  iber  4,  1910,  including;  rooovinondat ion  as  to 
engineering  end  clerical  or, -ani&ation  necossarv 
to  carry  the  proponed  work  into  effect, 

M  r  e c omonda lions  have  boon 

^J^itteu  to  General  'arahall,  who  loins 

with  3c  in  recoiaendir.F  the  approval  thereof, 

}70^k  proceed  in  accordance  therewith, 
or  wit-i  such  modification  as  emergency  nay  war- 

r;  tJiat  th<?  ersPlojm>ent  of  the  engineer  n* 

StSflf  0r^nlEfltlo«  bo  «  thorised  aHug- 

,,  ,  j  ®  T  opart  ;cnt  having  the  actvcmt ago  of 

tf  o  ability  and  service  of  General  3»rshtill  it 

««i«»°*?,|OTdo4  th,'t  t>1c  propose  work  be  done 
tmuor  the  general  supervision  of  the  'coretarv 

oi  the  Interior,  and  that  the  latter  be  ar.thor- 

V???  ®nJor  into  ana  execute  on  behalf  of  the 

nn^+^'l.*60;  ?ontrac^*>  for  *  :e  »orh  to  bo  done 
nu  t..e  aaterlale  required ,  either  purai  nt  to 

bid  a  ana  propose  la  submitted  res,  oneive  to  ad- 

vortioomenta  calling  therefor,  or  without  such 

roqeiro”C:1C,ltS  in  the  ovont  e  .ergonoy  should  so 

In  view  of  the  extraordinary  character  of 

•  i‘°P’0Sk  iiad  the  agency  of  its  early  completion, 

the  Ini'  undwi  thr-t,thc  provisions  of 

t.nc  ao-calj.efl  r.ight  Hour  haw,  U'.f  ;-;tat. .  3*0). 

no  not  apply  to  said  work.  I  he  chief  engineer, 

r‘0vl?ca  *  th:t  there  ia  .-ro«t 
“«f„+  '  li  in  .®0£n,rlne  8«itable  labor  at  this 

&na  the  United  States  in 

sufficient  nunoor  to  have  two  shifts  of  labor  on 


7 


to  ho  labor °forrav  hifta°t?oroBwouian8 

iBS  ? t8£r* 

.  2i  coaplotlne  thin  work  In  ti-ie  is  to  4© 
?fie  more  than  eight  hours  a  day*  and  that 

oo°tlmCo?rtbCBt?a*1?'  t1scroforo.  within  the  ex¬ 
ception  of  the  statute-  an  extraordinary  e  serpen- 

oert  oiSb«  ^£^?r  ‘fcoa  <*»«««  that  the.  depart- 
,re^4 uao  Interior  be  authorised  to  uermit  the 
ns©  in  connection  with  the  wort?  proposed  of 

bcp«f.inB  to  the  F.eola*»tion  '  crv- 
*®c,  *"  "By  uaofy-  or  nooosaary  therein  and 

eeaof  thotr~o»fer  °?  o;si5lo^cs  othcr'branoh- 
fa  °-\,tho  <  OTern.nant  service  to  tho  worh  o-p  <o<iad 

wben1ao0t^®a4$ra-T  noc°V8Bry;  8150,5  °4hyeoo 

wuen  *>o  tr^naj erroc  to  receive,  in  ao.jord‘-.ce  with 

l;"8  f8C0f/Lnli3f  5V!r-  10  «™o».  an  advance  olh 

ir  oei"t  2vor  the  regular  comr onset  ion  naid 

in  ohc  government  service.  * 

I  nn«errL**a!5vM?r5caJJ!  *lth  the  1>r80tlc'»  whic- 

,  ,  cr®*&n<  pie\,  ii#  in  the  caeca  of  ennl nt-n/vn 

oosi^i  tefl  for  service  in  cni.na  enft  •lswhw  lr 

e-l'tirr1?0  ?T*acr  conditions  not  unlike  thoso 
■  •  i.  tin,,  in  the  pro  tent  instni.ee. 

"Very  respectfully, 

(signed)  n.  a.  Ballinger, 

ec rotary .  " 

The  President. 

Ifovembor  5th,  191C. 

Ha commend at ions  approved  and  action 
au«noris#d  in  accordance  therewith. 

♦  .'signed )  Vm.  I!,  graft 

’resident. 


hilo  in  IVaohington  arrangements  were  mad#  with 
President  ovott  of  the  Southern  Pacifi#  Company  for 
too  1*0#  of  plant  and  equipment,  and  it  was  hoped  that 


the  work  could  be 


promptly  inaugurated ,  as  t ho  low 


water  season  was  rapidly  passing* 

It  rrn b  at  first  thought  that  the  consent  of  the 
;?€r-:ioan  'resident  would  be  sufficient  to  permit  the 
worh  to  proceed,  but  in  formulating  the  permit  it  was 
considered  that  a  formal  treaty  between  the  two  coun¬ 
tries  would  be  essential*  This  procedure  would,  of 
course,  require  the  ratification  of  the  Congresses 
of  the  two  countries,  neither  one  of  which  was  In  ses¬ 
sion.  and  other  moans  wore  sought  which  would  satisfy 

•  • 

the  legal  requirements  of  soxioo*  it  was  finally 
agreed  that  a  simple  exchange  of  notes  between  the 
respective  State  departments  would  be  sufficient  to 
authorise  the  construction  on  '-lex  loan  territory  of 

the  protective  works  on  the  Color  do  fiver*  vhe 

» 

fundamental  basis  for  the  agreement  as  submitted  by 
the  icxic&n  Government  is  as  follows: 


■ 


;  -  . 

■ 


-  ■ 


.  .  ■  >■ 


. 


'  -  -V  \  .  ;/  - 

,  ■  •.  ;  i  ' 

» ,  *  n 

.  t 


>  > 


.  •  t  ‘  l-j  •  ■ ' . 


v  •  ■  .  ;•  r  ’  ' 

V  i 


•  .  1  . 


'  -  '  V'.  ••  '  "  •  '  ■  • 


-  . 


"  ■  .  ;  ■  -  ,  •  ; 


i 


«...  ■  "  1 « 


•  '  •  V 


V*  ’  •*,'  •  -  ,  ’  *■’  * 

1  r  • 


9 


1#  ’The  works  shall  he  constructed  by  tho 
Colorado  Diver  ".and  Company,  Owner  of  the  land 
on  which  said  rorko  are  to  bo  accomplished. 

r.  ’‘The  said  works  shall  be  done  in  accord - 
anoe  with  the  surveys  and  plans  approved  by 
the  Inspector  appointed  by  tho  Department  of 
Foments,  engineer  Don  Fernando  Beltran  y  'uga. 

55 •  ”fn  the  construction  of  the  said  works" 
the  right  a  of  the  riparian  owners  on  both 
banks  and  of  tho  persons  to  whom  the  Govern¬ 
ment  of  Ho  ico  nay  have  gr  nted  eermits  or 
conoeo  Ion;?  for  the  use  of  tho  water  of  the 
Colorado  "Ivor  shall  stand  tmln  aired* 

4.  The  Government  of  krxioo  does  not  mr- 
oiitec  tho  result  of  said  work  or  assume  any 
responsibility  to  private  persons  and,  muh 
(.ess,  to  the  Government  of  the  united  talcs. 

5.  "The  Govemno  t  of  the  Unitoa  tites 
even  though  it  should  aid  tho  Colorado  "Ivor 
';and  Company  pecuniarily  or  otherwise ,  shall, 
not  acquire  thereby  or  by  virtue  of  this 
agreement,  any  right  of  owner  ai*  ip  or  aervi- 
ouac,  or  any  other,  or  over  any  part  of  tho 
territory,  or  over  the  work  that  my  be 
erected  in  ;t*u  lean  territory  whose  rights 
real  or  of  any  other  nature  shall  reside  in 
vac  jurisdiction  ami  sovereignty  of  tho 
Government  of  'c  ioo. 

6.  ”The  Executive  shall  propose  to  the 

Congress  of  the  Onion  of  the  Mexican  !  e  \  b- 
xic, the  ntry  o*  the  machinery,  beasts 

uurden,  wagons,  building,  material,  field 
tent  a,  tool a,  i-jple  mats  aid  equipment  neces- 
•*»ary  lor  Ire  construction  of  the  said  works 
ao  soon  as  the  Colorado  liver  land  Company 
w-  ich  is  to  construct  the  i  for  its  own*  ac¬ 
count  and  in  the  oanacity  of  a  Mexican  com¬ 
pany  which  is  the  only  one  leg*  tly  competent 
to  lake  all  the  arrangements  conducive  to  tho 
exemption  of  duties  on  imports,  applies  t  cro- 
^or,  it  being  or  rcssly  understood  that  free 
entry  will  not  bo  granted  to  food  products  or 
to  otippl ioo  consumed  by  tho  said  com 'any  in 
that  respect.” 


negotiations  with  iczioo  made  bat  little  progress. 


nnd  under  date  of  novoabor  19,  1910,  tho  following  let- 


I 


10 


tor  vim  addremse id  to  tho  reoretnry  of  tho  Interior: 

we  ,  ovda,  !o.f  Havener  19,  1910. 

’Sooret*»*3r  of  the  .'interior, 
ftohineton.  D.  c. 

"Sir: 

.  *  x  x  It  is  vo iv  taportant  that 

tnie  mttor  of  customs  be  settled  without  do- 
iny  cmd  if  formal  instructions  cm  not  be  rivon 
et  <mee#  sorsc  temporary  er  nngonent  should  bo 
m&f  toy  the  work  to  proceed  without  hindrance 
pending  firm!  settle  rnt  • 

’Ao  supplies  and.  c<n>imo ni  neat  croon  the 
border  to  roach  the  ace no  of  operations,  and 
no  instructions  have  boon  given  to  proceed  et 
once  with  the  work ,  the  importance  of  promnt 
a avion  la  Apparent*  Instructions  should  hi 
wired  to  custom©  official »  in  order  that 
lay  be  occasioned  by  any  nimindorat&naintf  of 
the  natter  an  to  duty.  ' 

,rkhc  delay  in  ©ecu  ring  the  sanction  of 
the  Mexican  Oovemsent  has  reduced  the  avail- 
no  g  tine  to  snob  an  extent  that  the  gresicst 
poa  ibie  promjM  nunt  bo  ado  in  <m?v  b.-nnch 
a*  the  wwtft  ftfon  now  on  -  .ml  *mm  then,  the 
rrec  os'  temg.  to  inoomplstod  work  by  floods 
boconos  raore  .onto  day  by  day,  it  io  thsrefSr*. 
wry  ia!iart*ni  to  e^loinittc  oa  far  c*a  swetioa* 
bl*  «®lay»  incident  to  fornautios  of  an  kinds." 
^  X  X  x  X  X 

Very  re opeet t\ >lly f 
{ signed  -  J.  a.  Acker  son 
'  ni  i  near  in  Char/ o  •  ,f 

a 

i 

On  November  1U,  191'.; ,  a  d  mil  force  was  organised 
to  make  aurroya  for  tho  railway  required  from  the  mil- 
line  of  the  California  kcveloprwnt  c orapauy  to  the 


proposed  site  of  the  dam  across  .bojas  :ivor. 


-'he  writer  reached  Turin  on  lovo  her  ns,  1910,  and 


11 


1  io  o rgani inu t  ion  of  t  io  nooOijs^ry  foi’oo  to  (navvy  out  th© 
project  was  begun.  Th©  work  we©  necessarily  Halted  to 
such  ae  v/ao  required  on  the  American  aid©  of  the  boundary 

line.  Bunk  houses,  aoaa  hell,  office  and  hospital  build- 
ings  wore  oonstructed  at  Andrade,  California,  where  tho 

oajor  cart  of  the  force  would  necessarily  be  located,  and 
contracts  were  entered  into  for  the  delivery  of  material 


far  iiG  \t*xH  practicable  under  th©  o ire u® y t a no  e  0  • 
fhc  situation  on  Pcoonber  1,  1910,  U  set  forth  in 
my  letter  to  the  Secretory  of  the  Interior,  in  the  fox- 
lowing  terse: 


u  "Yira,  Arizona,  Ttoefe’iber  1,  1910. 

"Th©  HonorabX©, 

The  5c or ©t ary  of  the  Interior, 

'Washington.  2>%  C. 

"Hr: 

’’In  view  of  your  tele  grass  of  aovenber  3*  .  re- 
gardxn£  negotiations  with  lexica,  it  ie  deeneti  ad- 

odworh°  t0  C3Q>lclR  the  situation  aa  to  the  propoo- 

,  £he.  ^sftcon  it:  now  30  far  advanced  that  the 

work  :  0 *.  closing  the  Color  do  river  breal  showed 
not  be  under  ta  :en  without  a  full  op  reoiatlon  of 

v  -O  increasing  probability  of  flood  drarre  ard  ions* 
or  oven  possible  failure  duo  thereto.*  X°38 

1-e  n  foree  haa  boon  ™»do  to  or.-an- 

iC  f?l  1  tly  lBre*  to  handle  the  worV 

If  tine’  o“«  \eCOr5?r,loaa5/  60  woma  be  done 

~1  tlm  we^e  not  ouch  an  im  orient  ite  .  Pernio- 

lent  or  qurrrieo.  transportation  and  other  uses 


as  well  as  material,  has  been  promised  by  the 
southern  Pacific  Railway  and.  is  ready  to  rush 
in  as  soon  as  word  comes  that  the  work  is  to 

go  on.  txxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

ftV/ork  inaugurated  at  this  season  of  the 

year  or  later  is  in  great  clanger  of  being  in¬ 
ter  •Ujated  and  incomplete*!  work  may  be  des- 

ft3  suggested  in  zay  re  ort 

the  break  might  bo  closed “and  the  overflow 
continue  on  account  of  incompletod  levee,  but 
i^iis  would  invite  a  break  at  some  other  point 
in  case  of  unusual  floods.  A  partially  com¬ 
pleted  levee  would  exaggerate  flood  effects 
at  its  extremity. 

rrfKe  people  interested  in  this  improve¬ 
ment  are  eager  to  have  it  pushed  to  completion 

practicable  date  and  arc  fear- 
131  ''a^t  delay  to  another  season  would  be  fat- 
f}\  *h?}°  1  agree  that  post,  onement  might  on- 
o<.,n^er  L.re^  to  some  degree,  it  does  not  seem 
pro  bab  ...e  that  the  out  ting  back  feared  would 
result  in  very  great  damage.  It  would  prob- 

the  CC3t  •*»  difficulty  of  oi  >*» 
mg  the  break.  'ortnoremerit  of  the  Work 

wouici  doubtless  have  a  very  bad  effect  on  the 
financial  standing  of  the  community  which 
would  serioudy  affect  them. 

•XfJ-ftu.' tion  of  the  situation  seems 
lY1  TJCW  ?f  the  delays  which  have  r>re- 
yented  earlier  inauguration  of  construction 
wori  c^d  which  no?/  promise  to  continue  for 
several  weeks  to  come. 

Mbhou,i fi  resident  Taft  deem  it  best  to 

In  the  work  with  the  understanding  that 

itZlV:  £rob*ol7  ’foet  difficulties  which  will 
largely  increase  the  cost  of  the  work  I  will 

ansucIess^lCTf^P°-nib-C  to  «arry  it  to 
a  successful  co  elision  in  the  most  econo  nea! 

thouff  practlSablG  unaor  t"e  circumstances,  al- 
p^23?  pr o  f e  s  e i ona 1  reputation  may  suffer 

control/  1  S  dlie  t0  oauBetl  koyond  human 

”  ly  }  reference  would  be  to  postpone  th* 
wort  until  October,  1911.  This  wouW  fterfel- 

it  couldChphK  fflff  the  vroieot  as  a  whole  ae 
it  co old  be  nandloc  in  a  more  deliberate  manner 

condition"  0f  T+°  Io"f'er  Of  ion-  stage 

neroti-  ??f  ^  v,ould  alD0  permit  time  for 
negotiating  the  necessary  treaties  so  that  •’ho 

1:10  Y:or*  cou-cl  he  conducted  by  the  Government 


13 


direct  without  the  intervention  of  a  Mexican  cor¬ 
poration  which  will  complicate  the  situation  to 
some  extent. 

.  P1  ®.  notifying  the  Southern  Pacific  Hallway 
tnat  the  iurthor  delay  incident  to  pending  nego¬ 
tiations  will  not  justify  the  retention  of  plant 
xor  the  proposed  closure  if  it  is  needed  elsewhere. 

-he  same  general  information  is  given  out  to  pros¬ 
pective  contractors.  ;,ro* 

Very  respectfully, 

( signed!  <7.  a.  Ocheraon 
Engineer  in  Charge," 


-Jarly  in  leconber  a  wire  was  received  from  the 


Mexican  Secretary  of  State,  saying:  "i  assure  you  Mexico 
has  already  waived  all  formalities  end  the  Government  of 
the  United  States  has  expressed  its  gratitude  to  us" 
hut  the  local  Mexican  authorities,  however,  had  in  the 
meantime  received  no  instructions,  as  indicated  by  the 
following  telegram  of  Docomher  12,  1910,  addressed  to 
the  Secretary  of  the  Interior: 


»»c 


^  x  '/-hum,  Arizona,  Pee.  12,  1910. 

ocre ,  a ry  Interior ,  I'aakington ,  P.  C  . 

Mexican  eust one  officials  refuse  to  pass  any- 
tning  without  official  instructions  to  remit 
or  payment  of  duty  on  entry.  Have  on  force 
account  live  hundred  stock  on  Mexican  side  but 

author! tv  tn"3  ^A?012  an&  supplies.  Request 
aiunority  to  pay  «uty  so  work  may  proceed. 

t  s  i  gn©  d ;  j c lie  r s  on  • ,r 


Ihe  embarrassment  of  the  situation  is  further  era- 


14 


ph&Bltsed  by  tho  fallowing  telegram,  which  explains  the 


delay  and  the  coat  incident  thereto; 


" luma  ,  Arizona,  December  13,  1910* 
fecrotary  Interior,  Vashington,  D.  C. 

"Replying  wire  today.  Unties  already  accumulat¬ 
ed  about  four  hundred  sotinfttM  for  week  on#  thorn* 
sand*  Delay  costs  Government  seven  hundred  por 
day*  Unless  otherwise  directed  will  nay  duty  ro- 
q u ea v ing  collector  to  hold  checks  pending  ct; atoms 
adjustment  to  bo  returned  if  remitted. 

(si gne d i  J .  * .  Oc kor son* n 


fme  again  on  Deco  :bor  17,  1910: 


H  "Yuma,  Arizona,  Bcoonbor  17,  1910. 

‘isperetary  interior,  Washington,  3.  C. 

”*-or  k  is  absolutely  blocked  owing  to  lao v  of  for- 
•ie.<  instruct  ions  frois  loxicr.n  Government  to  cue— 
tons  officer .v  to  facilitate  packing  to  and  fro 
across  line.  Creel’s  stair. eoant  to  .His  that 
'c.<i co  has  waived  formalities  has  not  reached 
customs*  Contractors  held  at  line  unable  to 
proceed  situation  extremely  e mba r ra s e i n$  and 
fh re  tens  to  prevent  execution  of  work. 

(signed}  J»  t*  3c  Vera  on.  w 


Tho  progress  possible  up  to  December  17,  1910,  and 
subsequently,  is  cot  forth  in  tho  following  r©  orta: 


„  "Yuma,  Arizona,  December  17,  1910* 

"The  Honorable , 

The  Secretary  of,  the  Interior 
Vfachim  ton,  3 .  C . 

Sir : 


nI  have  the  honor  to  submit  re  ort  of  one ra¬ 
ti  ono  to  date. 

100  Indiana  and  6f  four -mule  scraper  tea  is 
began  <  red in •  on  railway  line  no ©day,  '  ccr  her 


1c.  The  temas  and  ©qu infant  can-©  in  from  ‘-©xioan 
aide  of  the  line*  The  laborers  w©r©  detained  by 

l ties  from  Saturday  to  v?©dn©sday# 
14th.  Considerable  tine  has  necessarily  boon  oc¬ 
cupied  in  pro  aring  roods  over  which  to  haul  sup¬ 
plies  and  forage. 

f SO  addit  ional  four-  vulo  scraper  tonmo  reach¬ 
ed  the  railroad  work  today.  All  of  thin  ia  on 

force  account. 

"A  camp  has  been  constructed  at  ndrado  which 
is  nearly  eo:s  rioted  and  already  occupied  by  bo  rd- 

ing  contractor ,  asol slants  #  oXsrho,  quarry  mon  and 
lr ho  torn* 


%uarry  is  being  prepared  for  use  and  side 
tracks  end  switches  are  being  placed. 

_  JJk  *.A  carload  of  explosives  has  been  ordered  and 
dk?£5  for  fuel  oil  have  been  received,  "nteriftl " 
needed  for  trestle?  across  the  Abcjas  river  ^ as  boon 
ordered  from  Southern  'sol Clc  Railway  for  delivery 
f ©camber  f;8th*  ' 


'* An  order  for  XZ.bOO  ties  has  been  placed  with 
8 EP®  S  Ct  Commission  an  ro 

now  being  loader  for  shipment  to  Andrade ♦ 

Rino  miles  02.  mils  have  also  been  ordered 
;t3eln  »Rd  sidings.  These  arc  furnished 

by  the  Southern  aoifio  ratify  and  are  being  rm-ja- 
ly  loaded  for  shipment. 

’Mn  arrangement  has  been  made  v?ith  the  rotrtfc- 
ern  lacixic  re.  i tv/ey  to  Ir y  the  track  with,  an  ex¬ 
perienced  trad  ftn;;  ns  soon  as  grading  it  suffi¬ 
ciently  far  advanced. 

"Fquiptaent  of  4  mogul  engines,  «  switch  en* 
gjnes,  <d  steam  shovels,  2  >ile  drivers  and  crews 
nave  been  engaged  from  the  Southern  Paci  *ic  x*ai?- 
wa;/  on  the  general  tor  .a  outlined  by  Judge  , ovett. 

It  is  hoped  to  put  this  equip  or. t  into  service 
early  in  January. 

.  >  a.  several  contractors  have  begun  clearing 
right  of  way  and  have  a  large  amount  of  stock  and 
equipment  ready  to  enter  but  cir  toms  regulations 
are  so  exacting  that  Little  progress  has  been  made. 

unless  003»  provision  be  mad©  very  coon  which 
wil^.  wit  them  to  pass  with  merely  a  gem ral  in¬ 
spection  X  fear  that  they  will  give  up  farther  at- 
t  e :  ip  t  to  und  art  a]  e  the  y  0  rk  • 

” It  Will  1)0  necessary  to  employ  r.  force  of  ton 
or  iiorc  broker,  to  handle  the  cuatoiia  unci  even  then 

01  limo  17111  b0  preparing 

i»J  h  e  *?nu‘!*  r  to*  •  covering  v.eolce  of  the  best 
bcaaon  oi  the  year  when  we  should  be  rushing  the 


16 


"The  ooni  rr.ct  ore  arc  eager  end  have  equipment 
©efficient  to  put  in  to  finish  the  vorJc  before  the 
time  for  great  flood  a  oef  in  if  they  can  be  vomit*- 
ted  to  enter  without  such  extraordinary  delays  and 
ho  euro  the  cnmpllct*  promptly  aa  needed* 

-lie  ‘ox  loan  oust one  officer©  have  not  an  yet 
received  Inc  t.  root  ion©  as  to  even  timiifi  option  in 
mu:  ton  regulation©*  A&  the  goat  ter  nan  ©lend©*  even 
our  locomotive  a  ?  n  car?;  dust  outer  In  'bond  every 
tine  they  orotn  the  line  and  night  traits  ere  ro- 
hlbited*  a  build  a  dan  which  require a  extraordi¬ 
nary  rapid  trana  ort  tlori  oX  mteri&X  under 
rr^tri  'iota  i  wcu  nl£h  impracticable* 

■faring  to  the  rapidly  diminishing  tine  at  our 
dlsf-om  1  it  van©  doomed  beat  to  peivait  the  oont -yaot ~ 
ore  to  outer  at  once  upon  their  worfc  without  w»  it- 
lng  for  completion  of  sontmota  an.  bonds  which  are 
in  covrHf  of  preooratlon  and  will  cc  ready  for  ©lg* 
nr-tvr©  in  r  few  A  rye. 

wfhe  agrec/vnt  with  the  Colorado  Hlvor  hand 


Com.  any  v- hereby  i  *••;  given  pov*ar  of  attorney  covers 
the  citr.atien  in  acoordm  m  with  atltw .let lone  rmd© 
by  Mexican  imbasoado?  to  our  tat©  Popart  ,:ont#  copy 
of  which  you  wired  to  me. 

n  It  vhouV'  be  noted  that  have  no  formal  of¬ 
ficial  dost* •  i» v t  i mm  iot  t i j*g  r  1  ?} it  to  © ar ry  on  th l s 
wor'  in  yc.xi.can  territory*  *•  paper  of  th  t  sort 
from  the  >  ■  i«*vi  t-k>ver?v  ient  would  necessarily  as¬ 
sist  fvo  in  dealings  with  ,-cti;*  official©* 

f;<  (n  an  effort  to  get  results  end  terminate 
tie  wftsrtr  ting  delay  I  rl red  ’*>cy.  Creel  vhnrs- 
0  In  behftlf  of  the  Colorado  - iver  vary  ^eQ^eiiy 
&Q’  inf  that  loot rrcitonv  be  wired  to  'Mexican "Col¬ 
lectors.  In  re  ly  today  be  m- ye  It  in  In -on- rib. I e 
t  ••  give  instr  ctionc  by  wire  and  does  not  indicate 
whether  they  will  be  given* 

l*';e  have  crowded.  everything  up  to  the  frontier 
as  far  as  possible  and  now  we  are  practice  I  ly  at  a 
©t-  tjc’’  so  frr  ©e  our  work  acres©  the  line  io 

*:.oncemed  *  I  i-rve  ®?h  neted  every  ©ore  tble  effort 
to  meet  the  iu:i©rgencie&  an  they  arise  but  it  is 
ebeolvtoly  neoer-sary  to  ©ecu  re'  from  lexico  such, 
lroti'ucti  ..ns  no  will  ..met 1 nelly  eliminate  the 
b  tm£  ry  line* 


donee 

i  nv  o  i  co  ©  cc  x*  t  i  1  i  c  d 


Arrangement©  with  :exle©«  Collector  at  Algo- 
o revises  th  t  goods  abet  !  pmm  on  consular 

uy  no  and  duties  rid  on  bills 

^ronented  therefor.  But  for  rale*  la,  ©w  i-ment. 
to a f  tto*,  ouch  mi  ohau.lA  be  seeded  in.  bond 
there  i  .  >  pro? ioion*  s©  I  ©©mine  the  tbiitea 
Staten  c  mot  give  such  bone-.  At.  all  events  a 


peroonm 


from  -e  1,  out  m 


i  quest loi 


17 


‘!rhia  question  of  customs  is  discussed  in  detail 
in  order  th.-  t  you  any  bo  fully  advised  as  to  the  dif- 
flettUle*  which  prevent  anything  like  iWMNHWtU  pro-* 

gres&* 

'Trusting  that  the  enb&^o  will  bo  mim&  in  the 
very  near  future,  X  «uf 

V e r  y  ros*  oot  ful Xy t 

(  »i*  aed }  J#  „**  icher  a  on 

I  ngim  nr  in  v '  targe • H 


trTu:.m,  Arizona,  looo  bur  XP#  1010# 
ihe  Honorable* 

'ocrat*ry  of  the  Interior, 

I’sshington,  r.  C . 


<:  ■  4  •>  >  * 

*  ■  -fc.  J-  * 


,J1  have  your  telegram  of  Iec©*>ber  XTth  relative 
to  ovsto  ig  and  notification  of  ::«-  *  ugn's  appoint* 
v,ant  B‘6  In  erector  on  the  part  of  the  orican  Govern- 
■tent* 

"the  telegr**  *■»  fro®  A'ob&sa&dor  1  icon  suggests 
that  '-nii«  1  ,  eijui  lent,  ©to.f  c;n  be  entered  free 
presided  mzivi  a^ory  bond  is  given  there  for.  "•'hi® 
h&r  always  beer,  the  practice  *  any  one  who  furnish- 
cp  bon-  can  enter  under  the  conditions  wmed  in  the 
telegram*  fo  f  r  ae  I  can  see  the  Mexican  Govern** 
Moot  has  node  no  concession  wh  lover  in  the  nrttor 
0f  ©uet-OKS  d-::-ti©C« 

local  officials  have  repeatedly  wired  for 
Instruct iom;  but  without  re  suits* 

"X  hwe  notified  the  ftexlean  Consul  here  >f 
the  necessity  of  cr.-u  ing-  the  Arizona  -  onora  .line 
in  order  to  reach  work  bo low  Abe jen  fiver  oreah, 
and  he  inform  •'no  tN'.t  *  emit  therefor  cannot  be 
fi*  nted*  t&Xes  sue h  per  rit  is  fronted  it  will 
not  be  possible  to  reach  the  worit*  iiio  contractors 
havti  a  largo  force  of  on  one  enisle  waiting  for 
these  .miters  to  be  seif  led  end  the  delay  is  coot- 
ir*£  tporj  ooao  uior-:  uie  su  b,  a /id  if  not  terminated  X 
fr?;r  that  they  will  decline  to  sign  contracts  and 
bonds*  They  besiege  ao  doily  with  Inquiries  as  to 
what  t:icy  Should  do  and  i  am  ho  Ip  lea.-  in  the  noi- 
tor  until  of  Mol?  I  instruct! onn  from  "exlco  remh 
the  “earl can  collectors. 

"It  see:3S  to  no  froa  ny  understanding  of  tho 
onne  t  h.s t  it  will  be  necessary  dor  us  to  secure 
bond  to  r  an 1  ?r  Xst  o  qi;  i  paent  *  etc  * ,  and  p  r  y-  d  ut;/ 
or*  all  3U  plica  and  forego*  i  w  j  in v o si i g?  t iny 
the  ant  ter  of  utilising  surety  oo&pany  far  the' 
bond  and  rate  therefor* 


10 


% 


Have  put  the  whole  natter  up  to  Gel*  )tis  In 
accordance  with  your  wired  instructions  of  December 

17th* 

n  m  Deconbor  5th  I  wrote  to  Mr*  tige  giving  a 
general  statement  of  proposed  work*  He  replied  'that 
he  could  not  meet  me  until  some  tine  in  January, 
lot  >  ©r  iron  him  yesterday  states  that  his  Government 
authorises  20  to  \  roeeod  with  the  wo rk  accord  ing  to 
plans  submitted ,  so  there  will  probably  bo  no  delay 
on  that  score. 

’’The  river  remains  at  a  very  favorable  stage  end 
i  hope  it  rity  continue  without  floods  until  the  work 
i:i  concluded*  If,  however,  the  delays  oontirn:;© 
through  :ie  lean  obstructive  regulations  river  oondi- 
lions  become  matters  of  minor  importance • 

Very  respectfully, 

( .limed )  J.  a.  OeVeroon 

Knginecr  in  Charge.** 


TKbKGHAr: 


’Yum*  Arlssoim,  ©cumber  2 1.  mo. 
Interior,  *auhington,  D*  C 


’’ Secretary  . .  |  _ | J | 

Replying  yours  twentieth.  '  lerlco  has  not  made  any 
concession  such  as  indicated  by  your  dic-u  tehee  but 
on  the  contrary  are  more  emoting  in  customs  restric¬ 
tions  than  v snal .  Have  appealed  to  Creel  to  Consul 
cpo  and  Collector  at  ilogales  for  official  here  to  per  - 
nit  passage  across  Bono r a  line  out  result. 

Vork  below  break  oar*  only  bo  reached  via  honor©, 
uith  no  tr  nsportation  on  Mexican  side  end  no  habi¬ 
tation  within  fifty  miles  purchase  of  su  plies  there¬ 
in  impracticable.  Duties  about  hundred  er  cent 
so  ith  six  hundred  men  to  feed  and  house  and  tv/o 
thousand  mules  to  feed  one  hundred  days  customs 
re--  e.h  large  am*  Contractors  del  yed  hero  waiting 
to  reach  work  through  corner  of  5onora  do  .-and  ex¬ 
penses  incident  to  delay  be  paid.  Shall  f  wnt 
demand?  It  hardly  seen  probable  that  any  one  will 
ivc  necessary  bond  without  charging  therefor  end 
equip  icnt  cannot  be  entered  without  it.  nth  e  - 
ceptlon  of  railroad  no  progress  in  being  ado. 

(signed)  j.  a.  Ocksrson**’ 


"Turns,  Arizona,  December  28 ,  1910. 
"The  Honorable, 


Sirs 


She  Secret;. ry  of  the  Interior, 
Washington,  !  •  C* 


x  x3t  Yesterday  I  succeeded  in  cocuring 
from  the  nr nager  of  the  Int.r-G  lifornia  Railway 


his  signature  to  a  number  of  bonds  in  blank  which 
ill  enable  us  to  pass  contractors’  equipment, 
an!  9,  etc.  Customs  duties  on  supplies  for 
force  account  nd  i  Iso  on  contractors 1  supplies 
are  entered  under  consular  invoice,  and  the  duties 
therefor  have  so  far  boon  paid  by  the  United  States 
and  under  the  contracts  being  entered  into  this 
practice  vm  t  continue. 

nt  can  assure  you  that  the  work  will  be  car¬ 
ried  on  in  the  most  economical  and  expeditious 
manner  pos,  ible  under  the  restrictions  im  >osed  ir  ¬ 
on  us  by  the  lexicon  officials.  Up  to  the  ; resent 
tine  I  hr vo  been  unablo  to  find  c;.y  Method  whereby 
we  can  enter  the  equipment  via  Sonora  line  owing 
to  the  absence  of  a  collector  at  that  point  of  en¬ 
try.  If  the  delay  in  regard  to  this  matter  con¬ 
tinues  it  is  not  improbable  the!  entry  will  be 
•vide  with  the  necessary  con  ular  invoice  and  bond 
regard  leas  of  formal  official  permission  from  Ie  ico. 

Very  respect fully, 

(signed)  J.  A*  )c hereon 

Engineer  in  Charge.” 


Ariaona,  December  31,  19 Xu . 

*r*vr vf*’  *  •« 

Secret  ry  Interior,  Washington,  33.  C. 

’'Answering  wire  December  thirty  first  no  customs 
officers  yet  at  oners  line  and  contractors  still 
detained.  3 toe  ,  equipment  end  supplies  entered 
at  Ipodonoc  under  bond  nd  paying* duty.  Co  lea 
of  official  instructions  to  customs  of  leers 
should  bo  sont  to  me.  x  x  x  x  x  x 

(  s  1 1  no  d ;  Oo  k  « rs on  *  r 


"  Yta  a ,  Arizona*  January  3,  1911. 

"The  Honorable , 

The  secretary  of  the  Interior, 

Washington.  B.  C. 

Sir: 

%  x  x  xxxxxxxx 
"Below  the  Abe  jas  river  work  with  adequate 
force  of  teams  will  begin  as  soon  as  entry  is 
•or  lit  ted  across  the  onora  line. 

'In  order  to  hasten  this,  I  have  tmderta >en 
to  establish  a  temporary  camp  for  the  He  ioan 
customs  officer;;;  and  propose  to  subsist  them 
while  engaged  in  passing  contractors  equipment. 

”•*  Jv;st  informed  by  the  Algodones  customs 
off  loins  that  they  have  today  received  orders  to 
proceed  to  the  Sonor*  line  and  I  expect  to  take 


BO 


t >.o*a  down  Thu rad&y  morning# 

r‘.A  considerable  amount  of  the  contractors f 
force  has  boon  wit  ing  nearly  three  weeks  for 
a.  thorite  to  enter  via  Sonora*  In  all  this 
controversy  dbo-at  oust©®®  it  is  clel^sd  by  the 
officii  1c  at  Mi  odonos  that  up  to  Vo comber  rath 
no  off  total  instructions  of  any  hind  had  reach** 
©a  then#  xxxxxxxa:  x  x. 

Very  resr  cot  fully, 

( a  i  -mo  d  •  J .  a  *  >o  her  a  on 
'"'n&ineer  in  Charge 


"Yurm*  /  ri sons »  January  5.  lb"  'U 

,??h©  Honorable, 

the  reoreiary  of  the  Interior, 

VnMhliigtdn*  D*  0* 

Hlr? 

*ft»  following  teXegye  mi  *§#$  teceiwd  by 
'r*  '  o-.ms  ..  a • end os,  the  e  v  st  ons  of lot:?.. I  r-t  Al- 
godonos,  r.ewer  California,  &  vice,  to  wit: 

Mooonber  r;8,  1910. 

1  f ots  will  permit  the  tend  '  Ivor  Con  .any 
the  Importation  of  rmchlnary,  be)  myings  to 
ivies  and  muleteers,  wsgons,  oat©riaia  for  con¬ 
struction-,  fonts,  implements,  locomotives,  pile 
drives  or  other  thingo  need©  •  by  mx id  comr.  ny 
for  the  v*m  of  the  worfes  on  the  Colorado  Ivor 
oh-  rgirjc  duties  to  the  Office  of  the  secretary 
of  Foreign  Halations,  while  In  the  scant In© 
Congress  ap --roves  of  a  initiative  lav;  that  has 
been  presented s  with  the  intelligence  that  yon 
will  fenced  at  your  earliest  op  or t unity,  four 
oorres  ending  copies  of  invoices  and  -an! foots. # 

’January  £,  1911. 

Mt  la  now  ordered  th;  t  the  custom  house 
at  HoxicnXi  ..end  Cent  dor  aeat  Cabo  Cent  reran, 
cn  C else! ores,  ‘.onto ,1' no  .  o  jorqtas  ,d  v.tt  this 
personal  and  with  the  officer  of  that  custom 
house  isarroge  you  will  pp.se  to  pjommr.i  *  A 
Andrade  ranch  to  despatch  cl'  goods  belonging: 
to  the  Colorado  Ivor  .and  Co.,  as  though  the 
wore  imported  through  th©  a  godonaa  custom 
house,  saving  at  said  ranch  el'  documents  neoes- 

:  fcion  accord  ing  to  tClCgr&m  dui  - 
ed  eoanber  the  ;  0  loot*  Yon  or.  a  address  Jr# 

>e"  croon  at  YUrsn  who  has  been  notified  to  fur- 
man  to  you  and  all  your  employees  moans  of 
trfmn  ortotlon  and  habitation  and  provisions 


at  monument  204.  >rder  relative  to  ilesoatchee  of 
Dec  29  modified  accordingly.  X  recon  end  that 
d cap  tehee  be  -vide  with  expedition  even  if  it;  is 
outside  of  office  hours ,  which  extras  will  be  ro- 
trlbuted  by  the  company  at  .os  Igodones.  You 
will  follow  on  deapr  tching  authorised  lr*nortati<ma 
by  the  C0m?>0H  KSCKXBiMfK  BUHG3A  and  as  auxiliary 
Jenaro  larcia  Cota,  who  will  eo m  from  lexical!. 

' clmov.le  go  receipt  of  the  subdirectory. 

(si  ned  J.  rosehburg. * 

f  Info  nation  reaching  no  from  Mr.  Vawler  in 
Mexico  City  indicated  that  it  would  be  necessary 
for  ns  to  establish  quarters  and  subsist  the 
several  customs  officials  totalled  to  handle  the 
equipment  crossing  the  uonore  line  near  bound - 
ar^  aonunc  ;t  204.  A  camp  for  this  purpose  was 
cstbr lished  yesterday  and  supplies,  bedding,  and 
other  necescaries  were  placed  at  thoir  disposal, 
and  today,  six  axiom  customs  officers  together 
with  our  broker  were  doapatol 
rase  as  rapidly  as  possible  the  ©cuip  sent  that 
has  beer;  waiting  there  for  a  considerable  length 
of  time. 

■’Ion  will  note  that  the  instructions  to  the 
customs  officials  d-o  not  in  any  wf author  ire 
the':!  to  waive  the  rigid  inspection  required  by 
.ex  lean  law.  A  t.  out  hem  v,&oifio  track  g  ng  with 
122  non  has  been  delayed  four  days  at  the  Alga- 
conro  station  on  account  of  the  requirement  that 
all  tools  end  other  part©  of  the  outfit  must  be 
weighed  and  inspected  in  detail.  You  can  readily 
me  that  the  same  exacting  inspection  ©polled  to* 
our  work  trains  when  we  begin  to  haul  rock  and 
other  materials  for  the  dem  will  cause  each  de¬ 
lay  as  to  endanger  the  work  in  progress. 

!,It  is  of  little  service  to  quote  to  me  the 
promises  of  the  officials  in  Mexico  City,  the 
only  thing  th*  t  v  mulct  be  of  any  use  would  be  in- 
ctr  ctiono  to  the  local  Me  lean  official©  of  a  ch 
character  aa  to  permit  aa  to  handle  everything 
that  is  necessary  for  use  on  the  work  without 
close  scrutiny.  They  should  be  instructed  to 
accept  consul  r  inviDicea  and  my  certificate  a© 
re  recanting:  in  ail  necos  ary  detail  the  character 
md  v?  lue  of  articles  submitted  for  entry.  Un¬ 
less  thi.„  can  be  accomplished  it  is  evident  that 
sort on  delays  must  continue. 

Very  respectfully, 

(signed)  U*  A*  Odors  on 

engineer  in  Charge. M 


22 


The  situation  at  tho  Algodones  custom-house  which 
is  tho  port  of  entry  to  bower  California,  fexiao,  in 
which  state  all  the  work  lies,  with  the  exooption  of 
the  quarries,  vms  such  as  to  practically  prevent  the 
entry  of  material  and  equipment,  and  at  the  Sonora  line 
where  it  was  necessary  to  enter  contractors1  equipment 
to  reach  the  work  below  the  Abates  river  there  is  no 
custom-house,  and  no  satisfactory  arrange  urn t  could  be 
:nade  wit  the  Mexican  officials  to  admit  contractors* 
equipment,  although  repeated  assurances  had  been  re¬ 
ceived  that  all  formalities  had  been  waived# 

Finally,  on  January  1,  1911,  the  following  in- 

struct  lone  wore  received  from  the  City  of  '‘e^ico,  author- 
izing: 


First,  creation  of  branch  custom  house  at  the 
point  of  Importation  from  Arizona  Into  f  omra; 
second ,  pending  for  m!  establish^  ct  of  such 
branch  custom  house  officers  will  be  specially 
detailed  from  il god ones  to  pass  equipment  wait¬ 
ing  at  Intern  tional  line,  the  Mexican  govern¬ 
ment  to  be  reimbursed  for  the  extra  expense  in- 
ci.rred  in  establishing  such  branch  custom  house 


and  special  detail;  third,  that  work.  Including 
transportation  across  International  line,  may 

Jonti?u®  ni^ht  ancl  during:  holidays; 

u.ourth,  gondolas  end  open  cars  containing  rocv 
and  earth  for  oonstr  ction  will  be  passed  with¬ 
out  minute  inspection;  fifth,  pending*  submis¬ 
sion  to  and  anticipating  favorable  action  by 
^°agresG,  materials  and  equipment  including 
xo&t.  er  for  animal. 8  employed  on  works  will  be 
admitted  free;  sixth,  customs  officers  of  the 
le /. i. can  .©public  at  the  respective  places  of 
importation  will  be  instructed  to  cooperate 
v/i to.  those  in  charge  of  the  work  to  expedite 
transportation  across  International  line  in 
every  way  practicable." 


Through  some  unexplained  delay  the  formal  ex¬ 


change  of  notes  wns  not  consummated  until  Toco  iber 
£4,  1910. 


In  order  to  expedite  th©  matter  of  passing 
I  oods  through  custo  is  T.tesars#  K.  0.  Calderon  end 
s*  Sseelona  war©  despatched  by  the  Tree  ury  Depart¬ 
ment  of  exleo  to  supervise  the  customs  inspectors. 
They  arrived  early  in  January  and  immediately  pro¬ 
ceeded  to  establish  such  regulations  as  greatly 
facilitated  tna  entry  of  all  kinds  of  material  and 
equipment,  and  from  and  after  that  time  the  natter 


£4 


of  customs  was  satisfactorily  handled  and  no  material 
delay  was  experienced  in  entering  such  articles  as  were 
require*-’  for  the  aeration  of  .the  work*  In  the  ear¬ 
ly  stage  of  the  work  the  customs  regulations  were  doubt¬ 
less  more  rigid  then  usual  on  account  of  the  unsettled 
conditions  In  fexioo,  and  as  Algodonoe,  our  port  of  en¬ 
try,  is  a  small  station  on  the  frontier,  the  local  of¬ 
ficials  naturally  had  no  discretion  ao  to  waiving  the 
strict  letter  of  the  law,  and  the  delays  incident  to 
securing  modifications  such  as  would  practically 
eliminate  the  border  line  naturally  required  that  the 
'exic&n  -overnrafin  t  should  have  e  full  under  standing 
of  the  purpose  of  the  work  before  conceding  all  the 
demands  made,  but  when  once  understood  and  settled 
the  restrictions  so  embarrassing  as  to  practically 
prohibit  the  work  soon  vanished* 

/ill  material ,  equipment,  ou  plies,  etc*,  wore 


P&aeed  through  t he  1  ine  on  aoaenl&r  invoices  accompanied 
by  a  certificate  of  the  Engineer  in  Charge.  Trains  of 
material  were  allowed  to  pace  to  and  fro  at  any  tine, 
night  or  day,  without  inspection.  Dader  this  plan, 
in  syntactic  operation,  no  further  difficulty  tm*  ex- 
peri e need* 

On  tha  Amrloan  side,  the  following  instructions 
to  Collectors  of  Coat  one  olcarei?  the  way  in  a  satis- 
factory  manners 


„T  ,  x  ,  "laehlngtoat,  D.  c.,  Deo*  10,  mo. 
TTJ.  A.  Qoleorean,  Yum,  rlsona* 

Secretary  TroEionxy  Just  ad  vinos  as  follower  •Col¬ 
lectors  of  'unions  at  *?e#plr*8f  Arizona,  and  Han 
^iego,  California,  have  this  day  been  authorised 
to  permit  mteriai®,  to  ly,  equipment  and  aog>~ 
olir.r  intended  for  use  in  construction  of  enoh 
works  to  peea  and  repeeo  the  -toxioan  boundary 
without  requiring  for  ml  entry  thereof  to  be  made 
or  tJse  payment  of  duty  thereon*'  Reference  be- 
lug  ■ndc  to  levee  work  on  Colorado  Elver  votz 
will  act  accordingly. 

feigned)  Ballinger,  leoretary*  ’ 


In  compliance  with  the  requirements  of  the  (Sovorn- 


m«t  of  -lexioo  for  the  prosecution  of  the  work  along 


the  v-eat  bank  of  the  Colorado  Hirer,  tin  instrument  xm& 


26 


oxoouted  In  tho  City  of  Loa  Angeles,  California*  on  the 
Sic  day  of  .-©comber ,  1.1)10 ,  by  and  between  the  Colorado 
Kiver  Land  Company  ( Sociodad  Anonlma)  *  organised  under 
the  laws  of  the  f:  ©public  of  Mexico,  and  having  its 
domicile  in  the  Judicial  Section  of  Toxlcali,  in  tho 
Northern  District  of  the  Territory  of  Lower  California* 
Toxic o*  as  the  party  of  the  first  part*  and  J.  A.  Ocher- 
son*  a  e  It  5  sen  of  the  • nited  f  tat  os  of  America*  by  y>tg~ 
fens ion  a  civil  engineer,  resident  of  the  City  of  St, 
jouis,  Missouri,  which  provides  that: 


In  order  to  cause  the  perf onanneo  of  said 
protective  wort  in  conformity  with  the  desires, 
of  the  resident  of  the  United  States  of  meri- 
ea  and  the  -'resident  of  the  United  tateo  of 
oxico,  in  a  lawful  and  practical  manner,  tho 
party  of  the  first  part  heroin  hereby  appoints 
said  J.  *.  -OcTcerson*  the  party  of  the  second 
part  heroin,  as  its  true  and  lawful  attorney  in 
fact*  in  order  that  in  the  nan©  and  as  the  act 
ana  deed  of  the  party  of  the  first  part  herein 
?iO,  together  v  ith  hi3  as  Istants  and  employees , 
3nay  enter  upon  the  land  of  the  party  of  the 
first  part  herein,  situated  in  Me  clean  terri¬ 
tory,  and  cl o  all  things  of  whatsoever  nature 
which  in  his  discretion  may  be  requisite  and 
necessary  in  the  matter  of  tho  construction  of 
said  levee  ant!  its  appurtenances;  also,  in  or¬ 
der  thf t  he  may  ©nter  into  contracts  of  every 
nature  which  In  his  discretion  may  be  requisite 
and  nooc  aary  for  the  construction  of  said  pro- 


27 


tno-  ire  ivor’:;  and  finally,  in  order  that  ho  nay  do 

al;.  tilings,  perform  all  acts,  and  execute  all  con¬ 
tracts  of  every  nature  which  in  his  discretion  may 

he  reqi;:i  it©  and  nooesn&ry  in  the  premises,  all  to 

the  end  that  said,  protective  v/orr  may  ho  con  ?c need 
and.  completed  at  the  earliest  date  ponsible  in  con- 
xo  rnnity^  with  tho  Plans  and  specif  tent  Ions*  x  x  x  x 
-That  all  acts  ox  the  party  of  tho  second  part 
herein  within  Texioan  territory,  in  rmr nuance  of 
tae  authority  heroin  granted,  shall  ho  per  Corned 
v?i.th  due  regard  and  respect  for  the  laws  and  cus¬ 
toms  of  the  Government  of  tho  united  Gtatos  of  Mexi¬ 
co  and  the  wishes  of  its  Chief  rxeoutive.  x  x  x  x  n 


-.ho  import  arc©  which  the  c  lor 'i  can  Govcrnno  nt  at¬ 


taches  to  the  performance  of  the  work  by  a  ho-- loan  cor¬ 


poration  is 


;?Ov  forth  in  t  letter  from  the  !o  i can  Con— 


®  .o’.or,  *  •  ’Uya ,  vfn ich  objects  to  any  allusion 

in  any  document  or  contract  relating  to  the  worh  which 
recount  sec  the  Government  of  tho  United  C-tntoo  in  con¬ 
nection  therewith.  This  attitude  is  further  emphasised 
In  the  following  extract  from  letter  of  Commissioner 


■'Tign : 


tffhc  fact  that  fh*  funds  with  which  you  are 

to  execute  the  work  ©manat©  from,  or  are  provid¬ 
ed  by,  that  Government  (United  tntes)  should  bo 


£6 


absolute!/  ignored  in  all  the  documents  that  may 

^  U?  }5  conjunction  with  it,  in  the  same 

manner  that  it  has  been  treated  by  our  Secretary 

°fnt  oftthe8ii?itr‘i1^C2ntmB*vt*a  wlth  the  J>ooart- 

o-i.  t,.,c  United  .  tatcs,  the  change  of  notea 

-a?**?1*  a5  ??°  to  thc  diplomatic  gestion  of  this 
^.attor,  and  it  caused  it  to  pass  to  the  category 

L£r,lvato  ?J3Ci0?n  enterprise,  subject  in  all 

~a?°  Gn^^r?3'es  Govern: sent ,  and  of 

the  ecretary  of  the  Interior  of  Mexlot*  For 

tricse  reasons  it  is  not  proper  that  the  contracts 

??Ur^L?nteV??°  »*{»»«  by  the  Score- 
°..  ..nterior  of  the  United  States ,  nor  the 

nor  0h01I1<i  employees 
•/y?  a»ything  in  common  with  thc  waymont  of 

to  ncr  oan  yon  compel  contract  ora 

rl,  1  2  house  employees  of  the  American 
Government  that  may  appear  in  any  official  c*>- 

iu-illi  nor  of  the  contractors  do  this 

2; [«???*  i'revJjus  permission  from  no.  Your  of¬ 
ficial  capacity  in  fexioo  ia  not,  nor  can  it  be 

“  ,0Ld  !jy  : otter  of  the  14th  December* 

oi  the  engineer  in  Chief,  mC  re;ro- 
2,  ^  Golomdo  Hiver  hand.  Company,  in 
xlie  construct  ion  work  which  that  com- 
in  our  country  with  the  permission  anti 
HW  1  vernnxmt  *  You  are  of  course 

in«  aU  ****  O’Vlo^e:;  without 

t?onXn«  A  thl  fcf'cretary  of  Interior,  or  ones- 

Bhmifl  r°  *5®?  a'0*  or  ,vh't  sauries  they 
ahouia  receive;  but  thee,  employees  never  enn  »<e 

“««*•*.  nor  considered  here  no  rtorka’of  Z'/ 

•  .  f1®1  4*pf.rt  lant,  of  your  country,  as  this* 
th-'t  A  «210*fr0n  afferent  suggestions 

th.  t  the  -  ecrotrry  of  deletions  has  iade  a*id 

*  **•  t0  of  footi  -to  the  deepr.tah  of  different 

pariAnta  m%*r  in  th®  other  'de- 

t0  ®«5M*»tlone  of  courtesy  towards 
%DV-  'vosor.  (.i-  sent  for  initiating  this  work,  rhh©ro 
aJ®»  not  exist  any  official  relation  between  the 
diffoient  of  > leers  of  a  etate  in  the  iinited 

thfUhtr  Vi0m  ?f  •’•oxieo;  these  are  at  toast 

Sir  ESG-U"'---3  ^ 

iSUBSUU&i 


only  that 
aents  t  Its 
charge  of 
pany  does 
authority 


29 


^hie  Is  further  emphasised  by  letter  from  the 


lexican  Seoretary  of  State,  which  recites  as  follow©: 


11 A  matter  in  which  ive  have  had  some  dif¬ 
ficulty  concerns  th©  niatakoa  interpretation 
which  has  been  given  to  the  authorisation  of 
t1  ©  .lexicon  Government  to  carry  on  these 
work©#  The  Mexican  Government  has  s  ecial 
reasons  of  a  constitutional  m  ti?re  to  insist 
that  the  authorisation  be  given  to  a  lexicon 
Company  and  not  to  the  Government  of  the 
United  State©—  since  for  the  first  there  does 
not  exist  any  difficulty  in  our  legislation, 
wnilo  for  the  second  there  would  have  been 
necessary  a  treaty  to  bo  approved  by  the 
Senates  of  the  two  countries;  and  as  that  of 
lexico  is  not  in  session  it  would  have  been 
impossible  to  give  legal  force  to  this  treaty 
ana  the  opportunity  for  the  execution  of  the' 
works  would  have  panted, 

’The  result  is  that  the  authorisation 
given  to  the  Colorado  11  Ivor  Gaud  Company  has , 
by  agree  sent  of  trie  two  governments,  left  the 
Govern  mnt  of  the  United  states  completely 
>ut  of  it,  since  the  works  mu it  bo  carried 
out  on  Mexican  coil;  and  in  all  relations 
with  ©aid  works  no  employes  of  the  United 
ktntos  Govern wont  are  to  intervene,  nor  can 
they  bring  any  questions  before  the  loxican 
ii{7‘  ©rities;  nor  can  there  come  n  in  the 
expediting  of  this  work  any  matters  whatever 
or  any  promotions  of  any  sort  except  thoso 
relating  to  the  company  which  you  represent# 

k\8  you  now t  the  relations  of  lexico 
w  th  the  l nlted  tales  ?rc  very  friendly  and 
fwl  international  and  diplomatic  affairs 
are  going  on  smoothly  between  the  two  govern¬ 
ments  ;  but  in  this  matter  the  form  of  authori¬ 
sation  has  been  strictly  defined  and  we  must 
respect  it,  in  order  not  to  incur  any  dubious- 

of  misunderstanding  which  might  lead  to’ 
i>  t1 -  e  com  licet ions. 

"I  permit  myself  to  make  these  doolara- 
tions  so  tkt  your  company,  neither  in  any 
powers  which  it  may  grant,  nor  in  any  of  its 
lutore  negotiation©  with  the  government  of 
loxloo ,  nor  in  any  of  the  acts  of  Itself  or 
agent,  i  *e  ?;ny  reference  to  or  avail  itsolf 


of  arrangements  made  by  the  Government  of  the 
mi  tod  states,  but  the  30  be  considered  appli¬ 
cable  only  ana  excluBively  to  work  done  on 
American  territory  and  in  no  manner  to  those 
carried  on  in  Mexican  territory* 

’’I  desire  that  yon  fully  understand  the 
motive  of  these  observations  which  must  be 
set  f  rth  with  absolute  clearness,  to  facili¬ 
tate  proceedings—  and  at  the  bottom  of  then 
lies  the  no  s  holesone  intention,  to  avoid 
that any  misinformation  should  get  out,  mak- 
ing  the  United  state©  Government  figure  in 
t:. is  affair,  to  which  no  other  form  has  been 
given  but  a  conooanion  to  a  ’oxican  company. 
Bub jeot  to  the  authorities  anfl  legislation 
of  the  Government  of  loxico,  *n«  infle  nCont. 

-or  oompleto"  of  the  Jovorn-iont  of  The  Unitea 
states# ” 

In  strict  compliance  with  the  wishes  of  the 


Mexican  Government  in  regard  to  this  matter,  the 
following  instructions  wore  Issued  by  H*  G«  Otis, 
rcsic  ent  of  the  Colorado  .River  Rand  Company,  to 
insure  that  all  persons  connected  v?ith  t?ne  work 

should  comply  with  the  requirements  of  Mexican 
law: 


A1 officers  of  this  company,  and  all 
persons  in  its  service,  directly  or  indirect¬ 
ly,  are  hereby  called  upon  to  give  their 
special  attention  to  the  following  instruc¬ 
tions  governing  the  work  which  this  company 
has  undertaken  on  the  Lower  Colorado  River* 
in  the  Republic  of  :cxico,  and  to  the  condi¬ 
tions  to  be  observed  by  this  comany  in  the 
performance  of  that  work,  which  cannot  be 


,  r  *' 


VI 


'  V  •  :  •' 


*  .  i  w 

-  • 


-  •  >'  - 


! 


■  1- 


^  *  » 


*  » 


.  - 


* 


f  ' 


t  ,  •  '  '  . 

, 


I  / 


* 

'  "V 

f  .w  '  "  •  4 

» 

V. 

'  - 

•  * 

.  •• 

, 

« 

* 

■  -V 

1 

■.  ■ 

■ 

r  J  ' 

» 

1  -  ‘  •  » 

31 


dono  save  with  t  o  consent  of  the  'ozican  Govern- 

lent* 

'The  following  points  mwt  be  ©spec tally  r...t 
or  and  observe  by  all  concerned: 

,frirst*  This  company  is*  a  corporation  oner- 
sting  under  a  'toxic an  charter  e  nelusiveXy,  a 
therefore  a  taxioan  Company'*  in  the  eye  of  t  .c  law. 
ami  not  an  American  company* 

"second.  It  la  empowered,  under  an  agreement 
between  tne  two  countries,  to  ©  ©ante  the  pending 
work  of  restoring  the  Color?  do  Hirer  to  it©  natur¬ 
al  channel,  thus  preventing  its  overflow  and  the 
Goat ruction  of  property  along  ita  banka* 

*  .  jrird.  ’The  tern®  and  conditions  under 

111  ?**•  reticular  ©pot  have 
^eon  ®uthoritstively  laid  down;  and  all 
person©  in  ita  service,  whether  officers,  employ- 
cot  contractors,  or  others,  are  to  look  to  this 

5}°"®  for  tholr  «wo«i  instruction©  and 

c  ompenaat ion* 

fourth*  All  persons  concerned  in  the  work, 
no  nat:.er  whet  their  position,  rank  or  station 
r3ay  oet  «ro  enjoined  to  bear  iri  mind  tho  funds- 
mental  fact  that  the  work  is  being  done  on  Mexi¬ 
can  soil,  and  that  tho  wishes  of  the  Mexican 
^ovorp^nt,  as  e^  Teased  in  me  tie  lions  hereto- 

ko  roG  tod  in  every  particular 
in  order  that  no  canoe  of  complaint  may  arise  by* 
reason  of  any  infringement  upon  Mexican  territory 

+1  V'ion  rulcs  ana  relations  an  4i~ 
thS  ^pitoryj  end  also  that  reciprocal 
rot  act  ion  to  tne  contractors  and  workmen  enraged 

in  ^5,122***  ***  *®  »*•  ^red*  '  ^  o0fl 

itr  Hor  the  purpose  of  more  particular- 

t  l0  torma  nfi(1  oonflltlono  which  have 
b  nerot a- or©  agreed  to  on  both  sides  touchier 

"?•  '  the  official 

mat  ructions  o  the  lexicon  Government  ia  here 

Bflu  ©  * 

"S.«S  In  ft  latter  ftroa  the  Seoretary  of  Por- 

!P®?  "5?Kf  jonj  ®xlco,  addroaood  to  tho  nreai- 
lont  of  t)- i«  ooropany,  dated  January  g,  isii.  jj, 

lays  at rose  upon  tho  foUovlng  rointa  to-SIt: 

TttJ’.nor  in  0-  t  ;«  ,  ,-V  r 
h«®  5° on  authorised  to  esaette  tho  worv  i«  SSUi 
atood  ond  to  without  objCoti«;  thoHL 

rXXA*1?*  00ii  *na  •  -Sexio«n  corn-* 

eoTMaSaJ? wwiSS  t0  tho  iJoy loan 

gevernnent,  provided  it  Shell  be  carried  on  bv 

t.  is  company  alone,  under  supervision  of  thn  JV<a 

oomiueionors*  one  on  the  part  of  the  Iklited 


States  and  the  other  on  the  part  of  Mexico,  who 
have  heretofore  been  agreed  upon  through  diplo¬ 
matic  negotiations;  that  in  this  natter  the  form 
of  authorisation  hA8  been  strictly  defined  and 
must  bo  respected  by  both  sides,  in  order  to  n- 
vert  any  possible  mi  sunder  stand  ing  which  night 
lead  to  future  complications;  that  this  company, 
the  undertaker  of  tho  work,  is  alone  to  be  look¬ 
ed  to  for  its  execution;  and  that  the  only  execu¬ 
tion  to  this  stipulation  or  prohibition  ic  in 
relation  to  that  portion  of  the  work  clone  or  to 
be  done  on  American  territory* 

”(£*)  The  other  point  to  be  especially  ob¬ 
served  is,  that  at  the  bottom  of  the  negotiations 
leading  up  to  the  beginning  of  this  work,  the 
Government  of  lexico  is  disposed  to  show  the 
most  friendly  and  wholesome  intention  toward  it, 
and  is  only  concerned  with  the  matter  of  the  pos¬ 
sible  dissemination  of  mis  information  which  might 
lead  to  embarrassment*  And  finally,  that  this 
company  in  the  prosecution  of  the  work  it  has  un¬ 
dertaken,  is  subject  to  the  authority  and  legis¬ 
lation  of  the  Government  of  loxico# 

”(35>  By  intelligent  and  faithful  observance 
oi  tneso  instructions,  the  work  will  be  facilitat¬ 
ed  end  much  good  done  to  the  country  and  to  the 
large  number  of  people  and  the  Important  inter¬ 
ests  concerned  on  both  sides  of  the  International 
Boundary  Line*  * 


Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  inauguration  and  exe¬ 
cution  of  the  work  throughout,  where  the  United  states 
appropriated  money  for  an  important  work  in  a  foreign 
country,  the  benefit  of  which  chiefly  accrues  to  citi- 

i 

zo/;s  of  toe  United  tat  os,  is  wholly  without  precedent. 

>  or  this  reason  a  brief  eunwary  of  a  large  nacs  of  cor¬ 


respondence  has  been  given  in  order  that  tho  situation 


On  January  29,  1911,  the  Insurrectos  sacked  :  toxical  i 1 


effect ively  held  that  position  up  to  this  date.  At  the 


The  threatened  attach  on  Algofiones  did  not  occur 
until  a ebruary  21,  1911,  when  one  of  our  work  trains  was 
so i sod  by  a  body  of  artnod  Insurrootos  at  a  point  son© 
five  miles  distant  from  Algodonos*  The  telegraph  and 
telephone  wires  wore  cut  and  under  orders  from  the  In- 


surreoto  loader,  the  train  proceeded  to  AX god on os  with 

4 

this  armed  force,  which  on  reaching  the  station  immedi¬ 


ately  opened  fire  on  the  customs  officials,  killing  one 


and  wounding  another,  the  others  escaping  to  the  Anori- 


can  aide  of  the  lino. 


The  diet on  houoo  and  all  its 


34 


records  were  destroyed  by  flro  and  the  Insurroctoe  took 
possession  of  a  freight  house  nearby,  and  remained  in 
t  at  looality  until  early  in  April  when  they  suddenly 
departed  westward.  This  station  is  located  but  a 
fe^  hundred  yards  frosi  the  Quarters  constructed  for 
the  uso  of  our  forces  at  Hot  Knob  quarries  at  Andrade. 

I  ron  that  tine  on  until  early  in  April  the  Xnaur- 
reotos  were  a  menace  to  the  work.  They  Invaded  con¬ 
tractors'  camps ,  plundered  tho  stores,  and  stole  mules 
ana  equipment.  They  frequently  took  ossossion  of  tho 
wor'-  trains  for  their  own  use,  sometimes  being  absont 
an  entire  day,  all  of  which  was  a  serious  hindrance  to 
the  er.tien l  v. or  :  at  toe  dam  then  in  progress. 

As  it  a . peered  that  tho  American  forces  would  not 
be  permitted  to  enter  lexicon  territory,  even  to  pro¬ 
tect  this  work,  an  appeal  was  made  for  protection  from 


3S 


some  other  available  source. 

A  lexicon  force  of  200  rion  froa  Jlnoenado,  T/Ower 
California,  tmdor  the  oom&nrt  of  General  Vega  was 
promised,  bet  on  reaching  lexical!  they  were  utterly 
defeated  and  routed  by  the  laenrreetoe.  The  rrcoenoe 
of  the  InsurreetoB  and  the  absence  of  any  Henna  to 
cor.tr  1  t  ■  oa  created  a  panic  among  the  contract  ore 
and  their  laboring  forces,  and  in  the  ab nonce  of  any 

V 

posc.bility  of  aid  from  the  /.nor  lean  troops  or  from 
the  .iex loan  authorities  it  wan  suggested  that  a  force 
bo  organised,  ar-ned  and  equipped  for  the  purpose  of 
protecting  the  work. 

The  lexicon  Secretary  of  rtate,  therefore, 
'authorised  the  organisation  of  o  corp  of  police  to 
protect  the  properties  accumulating  in  the  bank  of 
t>o  Colorado  Klvor  and  get  along  the.  works  in  the 
aa.io.  I  bog  to  advise  you  that  under  this  date 


V 


£3 


(February  2S,  191',)  tho  Sepa rtment  has  advised  the 
President  of  the  City  Connell  of  T*  Knnonadn,  aotlng 
Jefe  Politico,  that  the  above  mentioned  oorapany  (Col¬ 
orado  Hlver  'and.  Company)  ia  authorised  to  organize 

8U0'!  corps  o£  police,  as  it  request  a,  for  the  nro- 
tootion  of  its  properties." 

Under  date  of  February  19,  18U,  the  writer  ms 
informed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  that  the 

Mexican  Government  proposed  to  send  800  ooldiers  to- 

% 

mediately  to  protect  the  work  but  considerable  time 
would  necessarily  clause  before  their  arrival,  m 
view  of  the  urgent  necessity  for  protection  the  writ¬ 
er  was  authorised  to  equip  an  armed,  nonuni formed . 

*>  * 

force  in  numbers  sufficient  to  afford  adequate  pro¬ 
tection  to  the  works  in  course  of  construction. 

in  further  consideration  of  the  matter  of  pro¬ 
tection,  in  view  of  the  fact  that 


no  lex  lean  magistrate 


was  accessible  for  o  distance  of  800  miles  and  the 

S 

arrest  and  trial  of  offenders  would  be  impracticable 
it  was  thought  best  to  abandon  the  idea  of  a  civil 
posse.  Furthermore,  as  the  Inaurrectoa  wore  daily 
•gaining  strength  and  the  lack  of  opposition  had  made 
then  more  exacting  and  insolent,  but  still  without 
any  diroct  Injury  to  the  work  itself  other  than 
previously  mentioned,  it  seeded  best  on  tho  whole 
to  avoid  anything  like  an  organised  force,  particu¬ 
larly  a  .lexicon  force,  which  would  invite  attack, 

and  la  order  ta  be  active  would. necessarily  mean 

defensive  measures  on  a  large  scale. 

In  fact,  the  Insrrrectoe  declared  that  they 
would  not  interfere  with  the  work  unless  Mexican 
fe  eral  troops  wore  sent  to  guard  it,  in  which  case 
they  would,  certainly  attack  and  attempt  their  defeat. 
The  threat  of  the  Ineurrectos  to  kidnap  the  Engineer 


in  Charge  prevented  his  giving  that  personal  attention 
to  tho  work  at  the  Abekas  rivor  which  it  required,  as 

no  orotoction  could  b©  looked  for  from  either  govern- 
nent* 

On  the  16th  of  April,  mi f  Colonel  Miguel  nayoi 
with  some  four  hundred  Mexican  troops  of  the  Eighth 
Battalion,  arrived  at  the  ,!bo,jas  rivor  and  went  into 
cano,  -Ti»i  route  to  this  point  they  were  attacked  by 
Iaoi;rrootos  near  Mexicali  and  a  sharp  engagement  last¬ 
ing  throughout  tho  day  occurred •  She  Cnaur recto  con* 
nander ,  Stanley,  was  killed  and  a  number  of  men  on 
both  aides  were  killed  and  wounded  the  Inourrocto© 

v.'orc  repul r;ed»  ColonoX  'ayol ' a  orders,  however,  wore 

to  roport  to  the  writer  at  the  Abo Jae  dam,  and  he  pro¬ 
ceeded  to  carry  out  his  instructions  without  further 
conflict#  d e  was  ro  Moved  fron  duty  at  the  Abe  jus 

m 

rivor  on  lay  10,  1911,  on  account  of  the  suspension  of 


the  work  and  his  forces  wore  removes  to  the  vicinity 
of  Algod one 3  where  he  e  ished  u  cam-  . 

Claims  have  been  made  by  the  several  contractors 
for  loeo  of  i report y  talon  by  the  rnsv.rrectos*  fhese 
claims  have  boon  submitted  to  the  Department  for  ouch 
settlement  as  may  be  found  proper* 

During  the  interval  following  the  formal  report 
of  October  4,  1910 t  the  necessary  estimates  wore  made 
for  equipment,  materiel  and  various  appliances  for 
the  vigorous  and  successful  prosecution  of  the  work* 
The  resident  having  directed  that  the  work  should 
be  pressed  to  completion  aa  rapidly  as  possible,  tho 
moat  import taut  feature  tie  cl  -  ro  of  the  break 

and  the  diversion  of  the  Colorado  to  its  old  bed,  the 
early  construction  of  railroad  was  imperative*  This 
road  vma  projected  from  a  point  on  the  California 
"'evotopaont  Company's  lino,  fifteen  nilos  below  the 
heading  at  Hanlon*,  end  extended  to  Abo jas  river  a 


40 


distance  of  7-J-  mlloo*  The  e louring  find  Rubbing:  of 
tho  right  of  my  began  with  a  force  of  Indians  early 
in  reco  ver  and  grading  followed  with  teams  and  chjiaip- 
nont  procured  on  the  tfexlo&n  side  of  the  lino.  On 
Jarmary  0#  1911  •  a  track  gang  arrived  at  the  work  and 
proceeded  to  lay  the  track,  which  wm  completed  to  the 
Abcjae  river  on  the  4th  of  February,  1911 ,  when  the 
force  was  di ©aimed  and  returned  to  the  Southern 
?ec  if  ic  C  otapeny* 

In  order  to  facilitate  coa^iiinioatlon  a  telephone 
line  waa  constructed  connect ing  item  with  the  camp  at 
Andrade  and  from  there  to  Abejms  river.  A  portion  of 
the  line  fiiong  the  California  Development  Company  love© 
avid  also  a  portion  of  tho  9.  S*  Declamation  Service 
line  was  need  in  this  connection* 

The  Question  of  securing  suitable  water  for  boiler 
use  me  oommvhat  difficult  to  solve.  Analyses  were 
available  sources  of  supply  and  a  site  was 


;;  V  r—r-  '  .  ' 

.  *  .••I'fU,.;.  ... 


nl,  ?:  !  i ,  itl'i'j  ’  >  *»/ 


4 


*J> 


•  1  4 '  '  '  '  . 


41 


finally  selected  about  5  miles  below  Andrade,  where 
water  filters  through  the  Colorado  River  breal  of  1906. 
i'hio  water  proved  to  be  quite  satisfactory  and  a  pump 
and  engine  ware  installed  and  suitable  tank  and  stand 
pipes  were  erected  oo  as  to  facilitate  the  supplying 
of  engines  and  water  cars.  This  water  supply  has 
proved  eminently  satisfactory  and  but  little  difficulty 
has  been  experienced  in  its  use  for  all  purposes.  The 
domestic  water  supply  at  Andrade  was  furnished  without 
charge  from  the  plant  of  the  California  Development 
Company. 

In  order  to  operate  at  night  a  large  equipment 
of  suitable  lights  for  illuminating  the  quarries  and 
the  work  at  the  dam  were  procured#  fPhi3  equipment 
consisted  of  eight  6,000  candle  power  2111b urn  lights; 
and  seven  tons  of  carbide  wore  purchased  for  use 


in  connection  therewith. 


Those  lights  proved  very 


.XU  . 


*:  . 


■ 


' 


.  * 


► 


satisfactory  and  permitted  the  prosecution  of  the  work 
at  night  with  little  inconvenience. 

Bias  for  levee  construction  were  opened  on  ITovenbor 
*.5,  101  0,  in  conformity  to  an  advert ioement  published  in 
sundry  newspapers  in  several  western  cities.  Six  bids 
wore  received,  as  shown  on  the  appended  abstract  of  pro¬ 
posals.  Owing  to  the  attitude  of  bonding  companies,  which 
declined  to  act  as  sureties  for  contractors,  considerable 

difficulty  was  experienced  in  concluding  the  letting  to 
responsible  bidders. 

The  work  was  finally  awarded  to  J.  H.  itawy,  from 
Station  0  to  470,  456,662  cubic  yards;  to  John  Mulligan, 
from  station  o02  to  1000,  410,924  cubic  yards;  and  to 
J-  c*  ^rton,  from  Station  1000  to  1500,  £64,256  cubic 
yards.  From  Station  470  to  591  (Abe.jas  River) 

146,1  r*j  cubic  yards,  the  work  was  done  by  W*  X.  Bowlter 
on  for co  account.  a  waste  weir  of  20,000  cubic  yards 


was.  also  excavated,  making  a  total  of  1,277,904  cubic 


• ■  V 


' 


l  •  I  I 


' 

•  '  ...  . 


•  * 

* 


♦ 

' 

;  ■■■  ' 


' 


<. : 


-  y-*;  •  . 

» 

•.  v  •  *V 

V  '  <.'•  '  . 


*  -t 

t 

■  •  .  .•  *  ' 


’ 


. 

,•  1  .  ...  : . 

* 


1  v  '  ! • v* 


vuroe  of  earth  work. 

There  118  til,-; a  Z 00  acres  of  grubbing  and  613  acres 
of  cle.a  i-ug*  1300  men  and  £100  animals  wore  employed 

on  the  levee  work;  the  labor  consisting  of  Aner loans , 
Mexicans,  Cocopah  Indians t  Ain&oos  and  Chinese.  Oho 
entire  levee  was  completed  In  70  consecutive  working 
s*  'fhc  total  cost  less  c  ns  tome  wets  f43£,4£4#7  6. 

Informal  agreements  had  to  be  made  in  some  casco 
as  one  United  tine  would  not  permit  of  read  vert  ic  Ing 
the  work.  The  specifications  for  levee  construction 
followed,  in  &  large  measure,  the  prevailing  practice 
on  the  lissiaslppi  '?iver  for  man;/  years.  It  provided 
in  general  terms  for  a  levee  with  a  crown  of  0  foot, 
with  slopes  of  1  on  3,  with  a  grade  line  of  5  feet 
above  extreme  high  water;  berm  40  feat  in  width,  and 
traverses  BO  fee t  7/1  do  across  the  borrow  ^jt  at  in— 


tervala  of  400  feet. 


A  muck  ditch  of  sufficient 


aonth  to  roach  through  tho  o rooked  adobe  oolx,  mmotlrma 
IS  frot  belov?  tho  aurfoc©  of  tho  ground,  which  occurs  in 
laces  along  tho  Colorado  Biver*  mo  required  along  tho 
ont i re  length  of  tno  love©*  ft  was  also  provided,  in 
acco  rd&ncc  with  tho  bent  practice  in  love©  construct ion , 
that  the  borrow  pita  should  b©  on  the  river  old©  of  tho 
Iovog*  !Thio  praotioo  has  been  followed  in  all  of  th© 

S*  loclanati on  rorvioo  lovoea  along  tho  Colorado 
liver  and  a  largo  portion  of  tho  levee©  built  by  tho 
California  development  Company*  ?hc  principal,  advan¬ 
tage  of  this  method  of  construction  was  fully  i!luc~ 
t rated  in  tho  break  occurring  Just  below  tho  first 
Southern  'meifie  clomiro  where  tho  borrow  pit  wan  on 
th©  land  aide  end  the  water  percolated  through  th© 
crocked  coil  under  th©  Xevco  and  when  it  reached  tho 
borrow  pit,  following  along  back  to  tho  channel  which 
had  Just  boon  closod  end  in  a  short  tin©  th©  entire 


45 


river  was  again  on  its  way  toward  Salt  on  Sea*  f  he 
location  of  the  borrow  pit  in  this  case  la  recognised 

aa  the  priae  cause  of  failure  of  the  Southern  Pacific 

closure# 

All  of  this  work  was  completed  before  the  first 
da^  of  April*  The  work  below  tho  Abekas  river 9  ow¬ 
ing  to  the  difficulty  in  crossing  the  Sonora  line  was 
not  begun  until  the  Oth  of  January,  1911,  and  oven 
the  work  north  of  the  Abojas  which  was  begun  on  the 
li/th  of  December,  1910,  was  abandoned  until  about  the 
first  of  January  owing  to  the  difficulty  in  getting 

tools  and  supplies  through  the  lino  to  the  forces  at 
work. 

An  Engineer  and  five  Inspectors  were  employed  on 
the  levee  throughout  Its  construction  and  an  oxccptlon- 
ally  good  result  was  secured. 


The  clearing  and  grubbing  from  station  219  to  the 


46 


Abe  joa  Hivcr  was  done  by  force  account,  the  dotal lo  m 
to  cost  of  whioto  is  cot  forth  in  a  stater  cut  appended 
hereto* 

^nr- 

r:hc  necessity  of  protection  for  a  now  loves  frees ‘ 
the?  first  high  water  season  vms  fully  recognised*  In 
fact,  even  Xcvooo  of  old  standing  rotplre  oonoidsrabla 
attention  during  the  period  that  water  stands  against 
then.  It  nm  Intended  fro m  the  beginning  that  hrvuh 
tapoons  should  he  placed  at  frequent  Intervals  along 
the  river  side  of  the  levee  In  order  to  deflect  the 
current  awry  fro m  the  base  v/hero  erosion  mt$i t  sot  in 
and  thro-  ton  stability  of  the  loves*  fho  demoralised 
condition  of  labor  and  the  haaty  oxit  of  the  contract¬ 
ors  at  the  conclusion  of  their  respective  contracts 
prevented  the  execution  of  this  work#  It  mu,  however, 
intended  that  it  should  be  done  prior  to  the  advent  of 
floods,  ana  on  April  6,  1011 1  the  following  tolegrara 


47 


wae  addressed  to  the  rocret&ry  of  the  Interior,  to  wit 

_  Xirna,  Arizona*  April  8,  1911* 
Secretary  of  the  Interior*  Washington,  D.  c* 

Jnile  the  construction  of  the  levoe  has 
been  completed  and  the  closure  of  the  brna> 
seems  probable  it  will  be  nece.sar;  to  organize 
a  -o.ee  to  patrol  the  work  until  the  low  water 
season  In  order  to  insure  its  safety.  This 
v;iiL  be  ctono  unless  directed  otherwise.” 

{ signed )  )ckorson*  ” 


dnd  the  following  reply  was  received: 


”  -  4  ^Washington,  D.  C.f  April  8,  1911. 

„ Jo  ory?^«  Engineer*  Tam,  Arizona. 

oaint ©nance  S"?  "lra  concerning  re  air  mid 

^aintenahoe  ol  levee  uncil  low  water  season  you 

S«\A^°“!>l0<12n  of  wor>  of  e®n»tru6tioa  leave 
.  ®  11  ®°°a  order.  Ho  authority  under  ap- 

roju  iation  or  negotiations  with  Texico  for  ma-in- 
.**!**  complettng  parties  bencficLuy 
levee?"1  V,i11  n°  d°Ubt  potro1  aa<*  ““iatoia  the 

feigned)  Frank  ierce,  Aotg  Secy." 


The  part too  interested  in  the  protection  of  im¬ 


perial  Valley  were  at  onco  notified  that  no  protection 

v?or'r  coula  1,6  a°ne*  3o  response  has  this  far  boon  re¬ 
ceived. 

Aa  the  result  of  this  lack  of  protection,  the 
levee  south  of  the  Abojas  River  was  broached  by  water 
which  escaped  over  the  bank,  duo  both  to  the  increased 
heighth  of  the  water  caused  by  the  dam  and  also  to  the 


high  stage  of  tho  river  itoolf.  At  the  present  tine 
aevoraX  railes  of  thi;;  levco  is  seriously  flasnaged  or 

A 

totally  destroyed.  About  ,7  ailea  at  f  o  lower  ex- 

/ 

tremity  roniin  intact*  v?ing  to  tho  inaccessibility 
of  the  region  in  which  tho  breaks  occurred,  and  the 
impracticability  of  securing  teams  and  the  necessary 
labor,  restoration  of  the  broken  parts  could  not  bo 
carried  out  and  the  levee  in  that  section  must  bo 
abandoned  until  the  low  water  season*  The  ©  -tent  of 
the  damage  done  cannot  bo  fixed  until  the  flood  seas¬ 
on  has  passed.  ’The  portion  of  the  levee  north  of  the 
Abekas  Miver  has  been  protected  with  brush  tapoons. 
and,  in  accordance  with  instructions  of  the  Secretary 
of  the  Interior,  dated  May  15,  1911,  a  force  wm~t>© 
organised  to  patrol  and  oare  for  this  part  of  the 
lovoo  ana  the  darn  throughout  tho  high  water  season. 

The  crossing  at  the  Abejas  Kiver  required  a  fill 


across  the  sand  bar  at  north  approach  averaging  4100 
foot  long  and  1^  feet  high  and  a  trestle  across  the 
8 1 ream  1017  feet  long.  Work  on  the  approach  v/as  be¬ 
gan  on  December  16,  1910,  and.  completed  January  16, 

1911* 

The  rails  were  laid  to  the  Abekas  and  the  pile 
driver,  trestle  materiel  and  tools  reached  there 
January  18,  1911*  The  driver  was  erected  at  once 
and  pile  driving  began  on  January  SI,  1911.  The 
boiler  proved  defective  and  a  delay  of  three  days 
occurred  before  the  defects  could  be  remedied  ow¬ 
ing  to  lad'  of  facilities  on  the  ground  and  great 
distance  to  the  nearest  base  of  repairs. 

The  trestle  consisted  of  bents  of  four  piles 
spaced  lb  feet  between  centers  anti  minimum  penetra¬ 
tion  was  fixed  at  20  feet  and  geiierally  exceeded 
that  amount  *  The  tops  of  the  piles  were  sawed 


50 

off  and  a  12  inch  cap  12  feet  long  drift  holted  thereto. 
Across  those  caps  v;ero  four  stringers  8"  x  17"  x  30  foot 
to  carry  the  ties  and  rails* 

After  numerous  delays  for  repairs  to  defective 
parts  of  the  driver  equipment,  the  last  bent  v;a3  driven 
on  February  2,  1911.  The  decking  was  completed  short¬ 
ly  thereafter  and  the  track  laid  thereon* 

Hock  dumping  began  at  the  north  end  for  shore  pro¬ 
tection  on  February  2. 

In  the  meantime  work  at  the  quarry  was  progress¬ 
ing.  The  material  was  loosened  by  drilling  from  the 
top,  the  face  of  the  quarry  being  from  20  to  30  feet 
high.  Two  yard  shovels,  a  dinkey  engine,  35 
eight  yard  side  dump  cars,  derrick  for  loading  large 
rock,  centrifugal  pump  and  gasoline  engine  for  water 
plant  and  other  minor  equipment  had  been  secured  from 
the  IT.  2.  Reclamation  fervice  at  laguna. 


Tn  January  1911,  tw>  6  yard  3toa'  ■,  shovels  ar¬ 
rived  at  the  quarry  from  the  southern  'aoifle  Company, 
K:ines  t0  the  3»at ruction  of  one  of  these  shovels  by 
fire  another  shovel  of  largo  onnaolty  was  secured  from 
the  sane  company  for  the  loot  few  woo  0  work.  niio 

shovel  was  a  coni  burner  which  aede  its  operation  e  - 
pensive,  as  freight  on  coal  to  this  point  was  charged 
at  from  *12.26  to  CIS. 76  per  ton.  sho  aane  company 
had  also  supplied  s  traol:  drivers  with  their  equipment, 
one  of  whioh  was  returned  at  once  and  a  chid  driver 
borrowed  from  the  California  Development  Company  was 
substituted  therefor.  This  driver  completed  the 
first  trestle  as  noted.  pUo  driver  orewa  were 

southern  'acific  non  as  were  also  the  twin  crews  and 
♦he  crews  of  the  two  largo  eten  i  shovels. 


Additional  equipment  from  tho  railway  ooapany 


oonpri sed  83  battleship  cars  of  40  yard 


00;  ©eit y# 


2  O'/ itch  onclnoo  ar.d  4  rood 


Ines,  fiat  oars,  wotor 


i , 


cars  and  bunk  cars. 


52 


I-vQl  oil  was  used  on  all  the  largo  plant  with  the 
exee- tion  of  the  pile  driver,  which  required  coal. 

switch  engines  were  kept  at  the  quarries  to 
sj/ot  the  cars  for  the  qi .arr-  ec,  throe  engines  on  the 
road  hauling  trains  of  15  to  £0  oars  and  one  engine 
at  the  trestle  to  run  the  cars  out,  unload,  return 
t  em  to  the  passing  track  and  close  the  doors  ready 
for  the  return  train*  )ne  of  the  engines  was  prac¬ 
tically  out  of  commission  for  repairs  all  of  the  tine. 

i  requont  accidents  to  the  shovels  oocuri*od  and 
broken  or  extra  parts  could  only  be  replaced  by  send¬ 
ing  to  the  factories  in  the  oast  as  far  as  Paterson, 
uc,/  Jersey,  and  long  delays  therefor  naturally  ensued* 
even  when  deliveries  wore  ordered  by  express. 

In  preparing  plans  and  estimates  for  the  work, 
r >ck  delivery  at  the  trestle  some  £3  miles  from  tho 


G3 

quarries  was  fixed  at  a  MLnirxm  of  150  cars  pox*  aay. 

In  practice  that  mmh*v  see  never  reached  the  deficiency 

lying  in  disabled  shovels  or  oho rt ago  in  rook  supplied 
by  the  quarry  gang* 

In  explanation  of  this,  It  Should  bo  noted  that 
the  labor  situation  ms  very  unsatisfactory  and  the 
net  hod  of  berrying  from  the  surface  proved  to  bo  in¬ 
adequate  to  the  doramdo.  outer  the  tunnel  oysters  whig 
entoot  tinted,  with  tranele  at  right  angles  to  the  face 
of  the  quarry  extend  in*  Into  the  rock  a  distance  equal 
to  the  height  of  the  face  with  a  tee  at  the  end  which 
mB  vvith  ©  ploalvea.  The  entrance  was  closed 

with  roc’-  and  sand  bags  and  several  tunnels  were  ex¬ 
ploded  nt  one  firs©  with  batteries*  tn  this  way  from 
00 * 000  to  ®0 §000  cubic  yards  were  loosened  ready  for 
the  shovels  at  e  single  shot. 

bo  large  rock  were  chained  to  the  shove1  di-nrr 


54 


and  loaded  on  flat  oars.  Although  proper  care  v;as 
exercised  to  prevent  large  rook  from  getting  into  the 
dump  cars,  loads  were  often  found  with  some  rock  too 
large  to  pass  the  doors  and  these  had  to  be  shattered 
by  the  use  of  dynamite.  Serious  damage  to  the  cars 

themselves  only  occurred  from  the  careless  use  of  the 
e  plosives. 

By  February  5,  1911,  rod:  dumping  had  covered  the 
whole  width  of  the  river,  care  being  taken  to  distrib- 
ute  the  rock  evenly  over  the  entire  width  so  as  to  avoid 
congesting  the  flow  and  give  a  wide  spillway  of  modor- 
ate  depth.  In  practice  this  was  difficult  to  realize 
owing  to  the  very  rapid  shifting  of  the  bottom,  so  that 
while  the  development  of  a  washout  in  one  place  was  be¬ 
ing  checked  another  would  develop  at  some  other  point. 
Then  too  the  middle  of  the  river  for  some  distance  was 
practically  dry  which  placed  the  base  of  the  rock  fill 


over  thin  stretch  at  r.  higher  plane  than  the  channels 

on  either  side  and  consent: onfly  wade  it  wore  liable  to 

attack* 

T5^e  prospect  of  an  early  aacocsafal  closure  seen-* 
o  assured  when  a  etidden  rise  from  the  Oiie  and  Color¬ 
ado  rivers  occurred  on  February  7,  1911 #  which  nna  ac¬ 
companied  by  large  quantities  of  drift  and  five  trestle 
bento  near  the  south  end  were  carried  out  and  three 
others  badly  wrecked.  The  entire  force  was  required 
for  a  few  days  t  o  handle  the  drift  to  prevent  general 
deaf  m  otion  of  treetle.  Another  rise  occurred  on 
the  10th  carrying  out  several  more  bents,  and  the 
north  end  was  also  threatened  but  was  successfully 
held.  ?n  the  Oth  a  driver  was  put  to  work  on  the 
north  oide  of  the  break  and  on  the  llth  tho  skid 
driver  began  operations  on  south  side  of  break, 
n  discharge  of  £5,000  second  feet  was  reached 


l‘b 


on  the  first  rise,  which  was  increased  to  S6tG00  second 
feet  on  the  second  rise* 

In  anticipation  of  difficulties  of  this  sort  an 
extra  supply  of  piling  and  bridge  timbers  had  boon  pro- 

Yi&oa  with  the  xirst  order  and  was  on  the  ground  avail¬ 
able  for  Immediate  use* 

ihere  was  a  total  loss  of  11  bents  with  four 
others  badly  wrenched •  The  current  was  Tory  swift 
a^d  snipped  the  piling  aoaut  in  a  very  dangerous  way, 
resulting  in  disabling  one  driver,  and  another  driver 
was  promptly  secured  to  replaced  the  track  drivor 
w/hich  was  in  const;  nt  danger  of  going  into  the  river. 

1  ilin£  ana  timbers  from  the  weir  trestle  at  Han¬ 
lons  contributed  materially  to  the  damage.  The  re¬ 
moval  of  this  trestle  had  been  ordered  by  the  Secre¬ 
tary  of  .  ar  and  the  debris  was  allowed  to  fi oat  down 
the  river.  A  vigorous  protest  was  made  against  this 


6? 


as 


xx 


threatened  the  dent ruction  of  the 


.’ho  Jar,  troy  tic* 


Tins  work  was  deferred  for  a  short  time  hut  later  resumed 


resulting  in  the  wrecking  of  trestle  bents  and  loss  of 


pile  driver,  and  drowning  of  one  mm  at  the  Abe jas." 

lh°  flood  gra  subsided  to  .3*0  '  taoond  foot 


(Xiiu  the  gap  in  tho  trestle  v.&a  closed  on  February  17, 
lyll,  and  the  ground  lost  was  soon  regained,  the  gar 
being  under  complete  control  although  the  break:  had 
scoured  out  to  a  depth  of  over  ZO  feet. 


Hi  the  meantime  the  channel 


which  .when  the 


wor 


V 


began  was  divided  into  two 


parts, now  mainly  flowed 


through  the  break  following  along  the  upper  side  of 
the  trestle  for  its  entire  length  which  for  some  days 
threatened  its  destruction*  but  it  was  saved  by  a 
largo  amount  of  rock  which  was  dumped  over  tho  entire 


length.  In  order  to  save  this  portion  the  rock  v/ao 


carried  well  up  resulting  in  the  development  of  two 


spillways  and  the  final  control  of  the  break  at  the 
eouth  end  left  one  spillway  near  the  north  end  of  the 
trestle.  The  central  portion  had  never  acted  as  a 
spillway  as  it  was  a  dry  bar  when  the  work  began. 

In  filling  the  break  during  the  flood  large  rock 
upwards  of  a  ton  in  weight  dumped  from  the  cars,  were 

carried  down  stream  over  two  hundred  feet. 

» 

Bumping  continued  with  promising  results  until 
it  scene c  that  complete  closure  was  within  a  few  days 
reach.  Jy  the  end  of  February  1300  carloads  of  rock 
had  been  dumped  and  a  difference  of  6  feet  in  water 
level  above  and  below  the  dam  had  been  reached. 

At  three  o’clock  on  March  3,  1911,  the  difference 
in  water  level  at  the  Abe.jas  river  dam  v/as  7.2  feet 
and  a  proportion  of  the  Colorado  Eiver  was 

flowing  dovm  the  old  hod. 

iiie  structure  seemed  in  every  way  substantial 


a..!1  <-he  final  clr.or.rt!  appeared  near  at  hend .  'udden- 
ly,  ■  til  out  the  slirh.tr:  ■:  ,  seven  bent  8  at  thfl 

nort.i  end  gave  vipy  and  the  impounded  water  rapidly  eo- 
oapod  leaving  a  break  105  foot  wide. 

! Underlying  quick  sand  probably  caused  the  brook 
ar  it  com  in  the  nature  of  «  blow  out  from  below  the 
piling,  Which  wore  driven  with  a  pentration  of  rg  foot, 

WMoh  10  considerably  deeper  th>n  that  used  in  previous 
closures  of  the  river. 

Pile  driving  was  rosnned  but  defective  boilers, 
two  in  succession,  bad  to  bo  replaced  and  finally  for 
Ir.or  of  other  moans  steam  was  piped  to  drivor  from  a 
dinkey  engine  at  north  end  of  trestle,  These  dofocta 
seriously  hampered  progross  end  a  rapidly  rising  river 
mAo  the  work  difficult  and  clov?. 

)n  the  8th  of  .March  ell  but  one  trestle  bent  ro- 
requirod  to  close  the  gap  had  boen  driven. 


Heavy 


drift  and  increasing  volume  necessitated  the  employment 
of  all  hands  in  the  raaoVal  of  drift.  An  e.-dy  of  7^ 
largo  proportions  developed  on  tho  upstream  side  of  the 
approach  and  threatened  its  destruction  by  erosion  al¬ 
though  heavily  covered  with  stone.  This  was  aggravat¬ 
ed  by  active  bank  caving  several  hundred  feet  above  the 
dam.  It  was  tho  intention  to  protect  this  hank  as  well 
aa  the  bank  be  lor  before  any  work  on  the  dan  began  no 
as  to  prevent  erosion.  But  the  total  lack  of  floating 
plant  on  the  river  and  the  brief  tine  available  after 
tho  beginning  of  the  work  was  ermitted  prevented  the 
execution  of  this  much  needed  work. 

/in  eddy  of  in  tense  also  developed  on  tho  lower 
side  of  tho  north  approach  which  required  most  active 
v/ork  in  order  to  prevent  wrecking  tho  tracks.  For  two 
days  the  ground  was  held  in  tho  face  of  a  rising  river 

1 

the  whole  volume  flowing  through  an  opening  1:  f>  foot 


wide  occupied  by  eleven  trestle  bents.  The  cinkc, 

engine  supplying  otcc.m  to  the  pile  driver  had  to  ho 

-ved  in.  order  to  save  it  fron  going  into 

the  river.  One  "Battleships  car  slid  over  the  hank 

0 

and  was  lost. 

On  the  morning  of  the  13th  of  r-ferofe  at  3  o*cl  ok 
a  raft  of  drift  composed  of  piling  and  other  debris 
from  the  California  T-cvelopacnt  Company's  weir  at 
I'anlons,  struck  the  piling  bents  ,  irreched  five  of 
tncmf  and  dumped  the  pile  driver  into  the  river  with 
two  men  who  were  engaged  in  repairing  the  boiler. 

Ino  of  the  men  was  drowned,  the  other  ©soap lag  by 
swimming  ashore. 

A  defective  track  driver  was  put  in  operation 
near  the  shore  to  restore  the  ground  loot  by  the 
effect  of  the  eddy. 

By  March  14th  the  discharge  at  Yuma  had  reach- 


"  nearly  40  • 000  second  feet  at  the  maximum.  The 
river  began  to  fall  at  the  dam  hot  the  activity  of 

the  lower  eddy  continued  to  make  inroads  on  the  em¬ 
bankment  approach  in  spite  of  large  quantities  of 
rock  and  sand  bags  which  were  placed  as  rapidly  as 
possible.  The  total  loss  covered  a  length  of  about 
500  feet  which  was  restored  by  new  trestle  and  rook 
W°rk‘  3&terlal  ^refor  was  ordered  from  rl0S  Ange¬ 
los.  sufficient  material  being  on  hand  to  keep  the 
driver  busy  until  a  now  supply  was  brought  in. 

'wing  to  lack  of  floating  plant  it  was  imnos- 

sible  to  do  any  work  in  the  eddy  itself  to  break  up 
its  activity.  \ 

Tho  remaining  pile  driver  on  hand  was  not  suit¬ 
able  for  work  in  deep,  swift,  water  and  another  driv¬ 
er  was  secured  from  San  Francisco  which  was  shipped 


on  March  18th  and  arrived  at 


Andrade  six  days  later, 


f-nd  pile  driving  was  resumed  Ilareh  £8,  19H. 

filing'  55  to  70  feet  long  and  other  trestle 
material  had  been  ordered  and  t.ere  on  the  ground 
then  the  driver  arrived. 

‘  atcr  in  the  broah  was  about  300  feet  wide 
and  the  maximum  depth  over  40  feet,  the  volume  of 
vator  ranging  from  17,000  to  ff ,000  second  feet. 

iho  recession  of  the  shore  on  the  upstream 
side  of  the  trestle  approach  required  a  large 
amount  of  roo-  protection  to  prevent  s  broach. 

Vith  the  water  raised  a  smell  amount  the  difficulty 
above  the  dam  disappeared  but  Increased  its  activity 
below.  A  largo  portion  of  the  force  was  occupied 
in  talcing  care  of  the  drift  and  protection  of  the 
approach . 

7orkc*.  progressed  steadily  on  the  dam  with 
frequent  lo.moa  due  to  slides.  As  the  head  in« 


creased  the  velocity  over  the  Croat  of  the  tea  beoarw 

J 

Y  A  K  . 

correspondingly  great  and  rocks  of  bo# erarfre  sue  wore 
carried  far  below  the  dan,  much  of  it  reaching  a  dis¬ 
tance  of  400  foot •  As  a  result  of  this,  the  crest 
of  the  dam  could  not  bo  raised  although  rock  was 

dumped  at  a  rapid  rate  only  to  disappear  in  the  pool 
below* 

The  supply  of  large  rook  at  the  Pilot  Knob 
quarries  was  limited  and  on  April  16,  1911,  a  con¬ 
tract  was  made  for  largo  rock  from  the  Dodos  quar¬ 
ries  distant  19b  miles  west.  Hock  ranging  from  a 
minimum  of  one  to  a  rmximum  of  five  cubic  yards, 

u 

approximately  4  to  10  tons  each*  The  first  do- 

/  ' 

livery  5/a  a  rwdo  April  19th  anti  10  to  12  cars  were 
to  follow  each  succeeding  day,  up  to  a  total  of 
10U  carloads  or  raore  if  required.  The  contract- 
ore»  however,  failed  to  doliver  the  rock  in  the 


65 


cvantities  re©uir©d  and  their  contract  m. o  cancelled 
on  say  x#  1911 »  rioter  159*' #85  tone  were  delivered  at 

a  eont  of  75  contn  oar  ton  at  the  quarries# 

) 

tiien  the  alto  of  tho  dam  mo  selected  and  the 
?;o:v’  T?ar3  Planned  It  wr* a  thought  that  v/hen  tho  water 
surface  tms  raised  to  a  height  of  85  feat  above  sea 
lovol  vhlch  coincided  with  tho  height  of  the  natural 
hr-V'n  north  of  tho  dam  and  stood  four  foot  above  the 
entrance  to  tho  dry  bed  of  the  Color  do,  scour  of 
t—  ;  bo d  would  lor  o  .  lately  occur  and  the  flow  bo  read¬ 
ily  diverted  to  the  farrier  channel* 

It  was  not  believed  thrt  an  devotion  above  06 
f*at  would  or  could  be  reached  by  the  back  water  from 
the  dam,  as  •rmlny  the  closure  to  be  mad©  during  low 
water*  but  in  order  to  brine*  the  left  bank  up  to 
the  average  height  of  the  right  bank  a  slight  em- 


banlc.xcnt  ms  thrown  up  from  the  south  end  of  tho 


66 


dain  northward. 

-the  scour  in  t-he  diy  bod  of  the  Colorado  was, 
however,  very  disappointing.  While  a  flow  of  half 
the  volume  or  more  had  been  estimated,  actual  measure¬ 
ments  on  April  12,  1911,  showed  only  10  per  cent,  al¬ 
though  the  water  had  been  flowing  down  for  some  weeks. 

The  larger  portion  of  this  flow  was  confined  to  the 
waste  weir  which  was  dug  before  the  closure  began. 

Under  low  stage  conditions,  it  would  have  been  practicable 
to  hold  tlie  dam  as  a  weir  at  such  height  as  would  not 
overtop  the  banks  and  still  give  sufficient  head 
to  induce  flow  down  the  Colorado  and  ultimately  re- 
store  its  channel  capacity. 

i 

On  April  21,  1911 »  the  protection  levee  along 
the  south  shore  was  overtopped  and  the  water  rushed 
down  the  steep  slope  damaging  the  levee  as  heretofore 


described. 


The  river  continued  to  rise  and  the  safety  of 
the  dam  with  twenty  to  thirty  thousand  feet  flowing 
over  it  made  it  necessary  to  complete  the  closure 
which  would  flood  the  lands  to  the  southward  and 
probably  damage  the  unprotected  levee  or  abandon  the 
closure  and  lose  the  dam* 

The  closure  of  the  dam  seemed  to  be  the  most  im¬ 
portant  and  wor was  continued  in  the  most  vigorous 
manner,  resulting  in  the  final  completion  of  dam  on 
May  15,  1911 »  to  a  height  of  95  feet  above  sea  level 
with  a  crown  of  20  feet*  About  4,000  carloads  of 
rocfc  were  dumped  at  the  dam  and  approach  thereto. 

On  May  4,  1911  actual  measurements  showed 
that  the  Colorado  discharge  down  the  old  bed  had  in- 
creased  33  per  cent  of  the  whole  volume  or 
about  9,000  second  feat,  with  6,000  second  feet  go¬ 
ing  down  the  levee,  the  total  flow  at  Yuma  be¬ 
ing  27,400  second  feet*  So  it  seems  evident  that 


6s 


the  capacity  of  the  Colorado  southward  is  rapidly 
increasing,  but  unfortunately  this  increase  has:r.'.bO'en' 
too  slow  to  make  the  diversion  effective,  although 
dynamiting  on  a  considerable  scale  was  resorted  to. 

It  was  well  Known  that  the  upper  reaches  of 
the  dry  bed  had  been  materially  depleted  by  de¬ 
posits  induced  by  the  Abekas  river  outlet,  but  the 
resistance  to  erosion  was  much  greater  than  ex¬ 
pected. 

The  river  continued  to  rise^but  for  two 
weeks  the  Abejas  river  carried  but  a  trifling 
amount  of  the  flow,  the  over-bank  water  reaching 
the  Pescadero  and  down  the  Hardy  to  the  Gulf  of 
California.  The  discharge  down  the  old  bed  of  the 
Colorado  continued  to  increase  but  did  not  keep 
pace  with  the  increasing  volume. 


i 


69 


On  May  16,  the  water  began  flowing  into  the 
Abekas  at  the  south  end  of  the  dam  and  the  rapid 
lowering  of  the  impounded  water  caused  a  very  ra¬ 
pid  flow  along  the  upper  side  of  the  levee  and  dam 
wh_oh  resulted  in  violent  eddy  action  north  of  the 
dam  that  finally  breached  the  levee  and  in  a  short 
time  the  flood  volume  was  again  flowing  along  the 
Abekas  channel  to  the  sea. 

The  immediate  effect  is  shown  in  the  eleva¬ 
tion  of  Volcano  Lake  water  surface.  On  May  14, 
gauge  at  west  end  of  lafce  read  26.5;  May  15th,  26.6; 

nay  16th,  27*2;  May  17th,  30 .2;  May  l£th,  31.9 «, 
Before  Congressional  aid  was  requested  a 
general  outline  of  the  worfc  needed  for  the  pro¬ 
tection  of  Imperial  Valley  was  agreed  upon  at  a  con¬ 
ference  held  in  Los  Angeles,  composed  of  represen¬ 
tatives  of  the  Imperial  Valley,  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railway ,  the  California  Development  Company  and 


70 


otliers. 

This  outline  was  later  developed  by  the 
writer  into  a  definite  project  after  a  thorough  in¬ 
vestigation  of  the  physical  character  of  the  region 
covered  by  the  proposed  improvement* 

The  project  was  submitted  to  the  Secretary 
of  the  Interior  and  received  the  approval  of  that 
Department*  Construction  work  was  entered  upon 
under  its  direction  and  carried  out  as  planned. 

The  extent  of  work  required  to  make  another 
closure  and  restore  the  controlling  levee  line  can¬ 
not  be  ascertained  until  after  the  floods  have  pass¬ 
ed. 

The  tremendous  amount  of  work  required  in 
the  brief  space  of  time  from  January  to  May  was  not 
conducive  to  economy,  yet  considering  the  many  un¬ 


looked  for  obstacles  which  hampered  progress  it  is 


71 


believed  that  the  record  is  an  exceptionally  good 


one  as  to  amount  of  work  done  and  expenditures  made 
therefor. 

At  a  conference  held  November  4,  1910,  at 
the  White  House  in  Washington,  Mr.  R.  s.  Lovett, 
President  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railway  made  the 
following  proposition  as  to  the  co-operation  of  his 
company  in  the  Colorado  river  work. 


SOUTHERN  PACIFIC  COMPANY 


Executive  Committee, 

120  Broadway, 

New  York,  November  5,  1910 


Hon.  R.  A.  Ballinger, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior, 
Washington,  1).  C 


Confirming  the  understanding  arrived  at  in 
conference  with  the  President  yesterday,  I  beg  to 
say  that  the  Southern  Pacific  Company  will  furnish 
the  Government  for  use  in  the  work  designed  to  pro¬ 
tect  “lands  and  property  in  Imperial  Valley,  Cali¬ 
fornia",  pursuant  to  joint  resolution  passed  at  the 
last  session  of  Congress,  the  following  equipment, 
at  the  rates  of  rental  named,  viz: 


2  Four-yard  shovels  at 


4  Mogul  Engines  at  . $25.00  u  »  » 

2  Switch  Engines  at  ...... .  §20.00  *»  •»  »» 

75  Steel  side  Battleship  cars  at  ...3  1.00  "  »  »» 


72 


^ ^  •  l<i''  Cars  at  «•••••••••••••••„,  £  1.00  per  day  each. 

1  Cook  and  3  Mess  Oars  at  . $  1.00  "  »  »v  »» 

these  rentals  do  not  in  any  case,  include  the  services* 

01  any  ^employes ,  fuel,  or  supplies*  We  will  furnish  necessary 
crews  for  steam  shovels,  pile  drivers,  locomotives  and  boarding 
cars  at  actual  cost  -  that  is,  the  wages  paid  the  men,  plus  five 
per  cent,  for  supervision  and  administration  expenses.  We  cannot 
undertake  to  furnish  any  other  labor.  Neither  can  we  undertake, 
as  stated  to  Mr*  Ockerson  yesterday,  to  furnish  the  lighting 
plants  requested  by  him,  as  we  have  none  except  those  attached 
to  wrecking  outfits,  but  I  am  informed  they  cost  very  little,  and 
that  you  can  very  easily  buy  them.  Nor  can  we  definitely  promise 
at  this  time  to  furnish  the  nine  water  cars  of  large  capacity  re¬ 
quested,  but  I  will  pursue  this  subject  further  with  our  Operating 
Department,  and  furnish  them  if  it  is  at  all  practicable  for~us~to 
do  so. 

It  is  understood  that  we  are  to  have  at  least  ten  days, 
and  if  possible  as  much  as  two  weeks,  notice  of  the  date  when  the 
equipment  will  be  required,  so  as  to  enable  us  to  assemble  and  de¬ 
liver  it  when  desired* 

For  the  gravel  that  may  be  required  from  our  Mammoth  pit, 
necessary  for  closing  the  Abejas  Channel,  we  will  make  no  royalty 
c: large ,  on  condition  that  the  pit  tracks  are  kept  in  proper  order, 
and  that  the  pit  work  is  done  in  such  a  way  that  the  pit  is  not 
unfit  for  our  own  use  when  the  Government  lias  finished  its  work; 
and  on  the  further  condition  that  the  Government  assume  the  ex¬ 
pense  of  providing  the  necessary  side-tracks  both  at  Andrade  and 
at  the  pit  for  receiving  the  loaded  gravel  cars  and  deliveries  of 
the  empties.  Assuming  that  it  is,  or  can  be  made,  lawful,  I  will 
fix  as  a  rate  for  transporting  the  gravel  from  Mammoth  pit  to 
Andrade,  37-1/2^  a  ton,  the  gravel  to  be  loaded  at  the  pit,  and 
unloaded  by  the  Government,  and  the  cars  to  be  furnished  by  the 
Government  from  the  steel  cars  above  mentioned,  our  services  be¬ 
ing  limited  to  that  of  transportation  with  our  own  power  and 
crews*  The  distance,  I  understand,  is  about  forty-five  miles,  and 
the  rate  mentioned  is  approximately  £  in.  per  ton  mile,  and  con¬ 
sidering  that  the  cars  are  returned  empty,  it  is  practically  4  m. 
per  ton  mile,  which,  in  view  of  the  very  short  haul,  is  certainly 
not  more  than  cost. 

I  understand  that  there  is  a  quarry  on  our  line,  four 
miles  from  the  junction  with  the  tracks  of  the  California  Develop¬ 
ment  Company,  and  that  with  the  equipment  above  mentioned,  or  some 
of  it,  the  Government  desires  to  move  rock  over  our  tracks  for 
the  distance  above  mentioned.  No  charge  for  the  use  of  our  tracks 
for  that  purpose  for  the  distance  specified  will  be  made,  it  being 
understood,  of  course,  that  the  use  of  the  tracks  is  to  be  under 
the  direction  of  our  despatchers,  superintendents,  etc.,  and  that 
the  Government  is  to  pay  for  any  damage  done  by  such  trains. 

I  am  not  prepared  now  ta>  say  whether  we  have  any  second¬ 
hand  rails  and  necessary  fastenings,  or  that  we  can  furnish  the 


t__eb  i  or  the  laying  of  such  rails,  which  Mr.  Ocher  son  requested  yes¬ 
terday.  I  wilj.  ascertain  and  advise  you  as  early  as  possible 
whether  we  can  furnish  such  materials.  Mr.  Ockerson 'g  request 
was  to  borrow  such  material,  the  Government  to 
expense  of  loading  and  transporting  it,  and  of 
turning  it  when  no  longer  needed,  the  limit  of 
opinion  of  Mr.  Ockerson,  less  than  sixty  days. 

upon  the  condition  stated,  the 
ties 


pay,  however,  the 
reloading  and  re¬ 
time  being,  in  the 
I  am  disposed  to 
Government  to  pay  for 


lend  the  rails 

any  damage ,  but  ties  would  necessarily  be  considerably  damaged  by 
such  use,  hence ,  I  think,  that  if  we  can  furnish  them  at  all,  the 
Government  should  pay  us  the  cost  of  such  ties,  and  we  will  Re¬ 
purchase  them  when  the  work  is  finished  at  their  then  value  if  we 
can  agree  upon  it. 

Mr.  Ockerson  also  suggested  that  there  would  be  at  Los 
Angeles  and  possibly  at  San  Francisco,  materials  necessary  for  the 
work  which  would  require  transportation,  and  asked  whether  such 
materials  could  be  loaded  on  the  cars  to  be  employed  in  the  work, 
and  moved  to  destination,  and  if  so,  what  the  rate  for  such  trans¬ 
portation  would  be.  I  do  not  know  where  the  cars  now  a^o,  or  tlie 
points  from  which  they  will  start.  I  think  it  would  be  better, 
therefore,  not  to  attempt  to  move  the  Los  Angeles  and  San  Fsan— 
cisco  material  referred  to  by  Mr.  Ockerson  in  the  cars  rented, 
unless  they  should  happen  to  be  immediately  available,  but  move  it 
in  any  cars  which  may  be  most  available  at  the  time.  such  mat¬ 
erial  may  be  billed  at  the  established  rates  whatever  they  are, 
and  when  the  amount  and  character  of  it  are  known,  and  the  charges 
for  it  ascertained,  I  shall  be  glad  to  take  up  the  question  as  to 
what  concessions  in  the  published  rates  can  legally  be  made  and 
should  be  made,  pursuant  to  the  policy  indicated  in  my  statement 
yesterday  -  that  it  was  not  our  purpose  to  make  any  profit  in  ren¬ 
dering  the  service  the  Government  desires  in  this  matter,  but  to  be 
reimbursed  what  we  believe  to  be  the  o03t. 

We  should  be  reimbursed  the  cost  of  assembling  the  equip¬ 
ment  to  be  furnished,  some  of  which  will  have  to  be  run  long  dis¬ 
tances  empty.  This  is  especially  true  of  the  steel-side  50-ton 
battleship  ballast  cars,  which  are  scattered  all  over  the  Southern 
Pacific  and  Union  Pacific  Systems.  Indeed,  both  Systems  combined 
have  but  300  of  such  cars.  I  do  not  know  at  the  moment  where  we 
are  to  get  the  engines.  We  need  urgently  every  engine  in  the  ser¬ 
vice  to  properly  handle  our  traffic.  But  as  stated  yesterday,  we 
v/ ill  furnish  the  equipment  desired  by  the  Government  if  It  is  to 
be  found  ajsywhere  on  our  lines,  at  whatever  inconvenience  to  our¬ 
selves,  and  will  take  that  which  can  be  spared  with  the  least  det¬ 
riment  to  our  service,  and  which  at  the  same  time  may  be  most  ac¬ 
cessible.  I  have  been  informed  that  some  of  the  contractors  who 
have  been  invited  to  bid  have  equipment  of  their  own.  If  this 
can  be  employed  and  the  Government  finds  that  this  or  any  other 
reason  we  can  be  released  from  furnishing  any  portion  of  the  equip¬ 
ment  above  mentioned,  it  will  be  a  great  relief  to  us. 


74. 


Bills  are  to  be  rendered  by  us  monthly,  and  are  to  be 
settled  monthly  out  or  the  fund  already  appropriated  by  Congress 
to  enable  the  President  to  carry  on  the  work,  it,  of  course,  be¬ 
ing  .  understood  that  whenever  the  appropriation  is  exhausted,  the 
equipment  is  to  be  promptly  returned  to  us,  and  our  Services  are 
to  cease. 


Very  respectfully, 

R.  S,  Lovett, 


President , 


The  proposition  was  accepted  and  in  the  prosecution 
of  the  work  request  for  plant  and  other  aid  received 
prompt  attention. 

W.  H.  Holabird,  Receiver  of  the  California  Develop¬ 
ment  Company  gave  his  cordial  support  to  the  work  through¬ 
out  in  the  loan  of  plant,  in  the  free  use  of  some  15  miles 
of  railway  track,  use  of  rails  and  ties  in  the  quarry 
tracks,  free  use  of  the  quarries  from  which  the  rock  for 
the  dam  at  Abekas  river  was  obtained  and  also  free  use  of 
domestic  water  supply  which  was  piped  to  the  quarters  at 


Andrade . 


The  Colorado  River  Land  Company  S.  A.  General 
H.  G.  Otis  President,  granted  the  necessary  right-of-way 
through  its  land  for  levee  and  railway,  and  also  made  the 
worh  in  Mexico  possible  through  the  use  of  its  Charter  as 
a  Mexican  Corporation,  in  accordance  with  the  stipulations 
of  the  Mexican  Government* 

The  U.  S.  Reclamation  Service  at  Yuma,  Mr. 

Francis  L.  Sellew,  Project  Engineer  in  Charge,  was  ve  ry 
helpful  in  many  ways,  particularly  in  the  loan  of  plants 
and  tools,  the  use  of  its  machine  shops  and  mechanics,  and 
the  quarters  provided  for  an  office  in  Yuma. 

Whatever  good  results  may  have  been  achieved 
must  be  very  largely  credited  to  the  fidelity  and 
energy  of  J.  D.  Fauntleroy,  Assistant  Engineer;  J.  G. 
Morgan,  in  charge  of  surveys  and  levee  construction; 

i 

J.  C.  Hering,  Special  Disbursing  Officer;  R.  W.  Johnson, 
Stenographer  and  clerh,  and  to  J.  W.  Calvert,  foreman 


at  the  Abe j as  dam. 


iO  those  inen  and  their  several 


assistants  my  thanks  are  due  for  their  untiring  efforts 
to  successfully  meet  the  many  embarrassing  situations 
which  were  frequently  encountered. 

Abstract  of  proposals,  distribution  of  cost 
and  other  data  relating  to  the  work  are  appended  hereto. 

Maps  are  submitted  herewith  showing  the  Colorado 

•» 

River  as  surveyed  in  the  summer  of  1910  and  the  levee 
and  railroad  constructed  under  this  project;  a  cross 
section  of  the  Abejas  river  crossing  showing  the  length 
of  piling  and  type  of  trestle;  a  liydrograph  showing 
stage  and  discharge  curves  of  the  Colorado  River  at 

Yuma;  and  a  general  map  of  the  Imperial.  Valley  situa¬ 
tion. 


Re  spe  c t  ful ly  submi 1 1  ed , 


yf. 

Engineer  in  Charge 


0 


The  Honorable 

The  Secretary  of  the  Interior, 
Washington,  D.  C. 


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’M-ropared  to  undor- 
ta  e  200.000  cubio 
j8  ds.1  Certified 
eBook  for  T500  ao- 
eoryv  anying. 


'If  stock,  on  .ipnont 
and  an.  plies  are  d&ty 
free  both  ways,  W$> 
off  on  this  bid.1* 

’Bid  is  for  earthwork 


cla  aring  and  grubb  ing 
al  to*?  ot ha  r ;  or  on 
earthwork  alone,  but 
not  on  grubbing  alonee 
8 he ok s  for  $4,000  and 
4  6, OCX)  go eorrm any ing . 

?t  Oo  di  t  ional  upon 
duties  fre  both  ways. 
Guaranty  accompany¬ 
ing- 


’’Gor.dl  t  i  onal  upon 
duties  free  both  ways 
Guaranty  aoo crepanyinp 


ill  not  undertake 
les :  than  entire 
levoo  work,  informal 

Guaranty  accompany  ing 


THE  LIBRARY 
Of  THE  . 

UHlYEiUftY  Of  IUJI01S 


\ 


ru0ry  26,  1911. 


ENGINEERING  NEWS. 


POTHOLES 

- fc 


YUMA  INDIAN 
RESERVATION 


Powell 


International.  idary__ 


,Calexia 


$HND  MESA 


7  ci Sociedad  de  Irrigation  de  Terrem 
80, 


3;f  i  HftUC 

12,000 Acres'} 


IntercaHifo'' 


000 Acad?. 


Colorado 


CERROi 

pr mo 


’  Head  of  1^ 
Tide-Water 


Colorado  River  Land  and 
Irrigation  Co.  5.  A. 
686,000  Acres. 


SIERRA 
|  MAYOR 


Head  of  IV \ 
Tide-Water\\ 


Various  ( 

20,000 


Individuals 
-nprsr.  Acres. 


The  U.  S.  Government  Work  on  the 
Colorado  River  Break. 

[Contributed.] 

Readers  of  Engineering  News  will  probably  re¬ 
member  the  disaster  caused  by  the  Colorado  River 
,ome  four  years  ago  when  it  left  its  bed  and 
joured  it«  flood  into  Salton  Sea.  The  river  was 
finally  restored  to  its  bed  after  several  unsuc- 
:essful  attempts  had  been  made  to  close  the 
break.* 


bed  a  short  distance  above  its  mouth.  Some 
fifty  miles  of  the  main  river  bed  were  left  en¬ 
tirely  dry.  The  break,  although  in  Mexico, 
threatened  disaster  to  some  15,000  people  in  im¬ 
perial  Valley,  California.  Congress,  in  June, 
1910,  placed  $1,000,000  in  the  hands  of  President 
Taft  for  remedial  purposes. 

In  July,  1910,  Mr.  J.  A.  Ockerson,  M.  Am.  Soc. 
C.  E.,  member  of  the  Mississippi  River  Com¬ 
mission,  was  selected  by  President  Taft  as  an 
expert  on  work  relating  to  alluvial  streams  to 


back  to  Its  former  bed  and  preventing  future 
breaks  to  the  westward  by  i  leans  of  a  levee  about 
twenty-five  miles  long  near  the  west  bank  of  the 
river. 

The  closure  of  the  bre  ;k  involves  the  con¬ 
struction  of  a  standard  gage  railway  some  eight 
miles  long,  building  a  trestle  across  the  river 
and  dumping  therefrom  earth  and  rock  to  form 
a  dam  of  sufficient  dimensions  to  prevent  its 
being  overtopped  or  breached. 

The  material  for  the  dam  must  be  hauled  about 


"ifnv 


<0^ 


YUMA  VALLEY 
86  sg.  Miles 


SIGNAL  mMT 


Somerton  . 

C  00} 


Mex.  Let  no!  8cCo!oniz'n  Co. 
20,  000  Acres. 


^^4 


Lowers  Limit 
Survey.  1910 


Miles. 


GULF  OF  CAL/^ 


I0~ 

Kilometers. 


:ng.News. 


MAP  OF  THE  LOWER  COLORADO  DELTA  AND  IMPERIAL  VALLEY. 

(Showing  the  Imperial  Canal,  the  course  of  the  Colorado  River,  its  high  water  outlets  and  the  general  alinement  of  works  for  the 
purpose  of  protecting  the  lands  and  property  of  the  Imperial  Valley.  Compiled  from  various  existing  maps  supplemented  by  surveys 
dong  the  Colorado  River  made  under  the  direction  of  J.  A.  Ockerson,  Consulting  Engineer,  in  August  and  September,  1910.) 


t  similar  condition  developed  some  twenty 
les  farther  down  the  river,  following  the  great 
?d  of  1909,  and  after  the  high-water  of  1910 
)  entire  volume  of  the  river  passed  down  the 
ejas  River  (see  map),  a  high-water  outlet, 
ough  Volcano  Lake,  the  Pescadero  and  Hardy 
ers  and  finally  reached  the  Colorado  River 


See  Eng.  News,  Feb.  22,  1906,  p.  216;  Mar.  15,  1906, 
100;  May  10,  1906,  p.  512,  for  articles  on  the  break, 
Dec.  27,  1906,  p.  671,  for  an  article  by  H.  T.  Cory, 
Am.  Soc.  C.  E.,  on  the  struggle  which  finally  re¬ 
ed  in  successful  closure.— Ed.) 


make  an  examination  and  report  as  to  means 
for  restoring  the  river  to  its  former  bed  and 
also  preventing  a  recurrence  of  the  break  by 
confining  the  stream  to  its  natural  bed. 

A  survey  covering  some  fifty  miles  of  the  river 
was  made  during  the  months  of  August  and  Sep¬ 
tember,  1910,  in  spite  of  the  excessive  heat  which 
had  an  exceptional  record  even  for  this  torrid 
summer  climate.  Temperatures  of  120°  in  the 
shade  were  reached. 

Plans  were  developed  for  diverting  the  river 


twenty-five  miles  from  a 
point  known  as  Pilot- 
Knob. 

Owing  to  the  great 
depth  of  the  alluvial  soil, 
which  is  very  easily 
eroded,  and  the  sudden 
floods  that  may  be  en¬ 
countered,  the  work  is  re- 
g  a  r  d  e  d  as  unusually 
hazardous. 

All  of  the  work  lies  in 
Mexico  and  could  only 
be  entered  upon  with  the 
consent  of  the  Mexican 
Government.  The  adjust¬ 
ment  of  the  duties  and 
other  matters  relating  to 
the  United  States  en¬ 
tering  a  foreign  land  for 
construction  work  has 
required  an  exceptional 
amount  of  careful  diplo- 
matic  work,  most  of 
which  has  been  planned 
by  Mr.  Ockerson,  who  is 
in  charge  of  the  work  on 
the  ground. 

F$ds  for  levee  work 
amounting  to  about  1,- 
400,000  cu.  yds.,  were 
opened  on  Nov.  25,  1910, 
and  work  of  clearing  and 
grubbing  is  under  way. 
Grading  the  railway  line 
is  nearing  completion 
and  track  laying  began  on  Jan.  8,  1911.  It  is 
hoped  to  complete  the  entire  work  before  the 
advent  of  the  Spring  floods  of  1911. 


CLASSIFICATION  OF  PUBLIC  LANDS  by  the  U.  S. 
Geological  Survey  is  reported  in  a  recently  issued  bul¬ 
letin.  The  total  area  classified  as  coal  land  at  the  close 
of  the  year  1910  was  14,682,830  acres,  valued  at  $625,- 
944,830.  The  total  area  now  withdrawn  as  coal  land 
is  81,449,223  acres.  There  are  now  withdrawn  as  oil 
land  4,487,819  acres.  To  protect  water-power  sites, 
1.423,561  acres  are  now  withdrawn 


TOO 


ENGINEERING  NEWS. 


Vol.  65.  ^ j 


Twelve  Years  Development  of  Rapid  Tran¬ 
sit  In  Boston:  THe  Extensions  and  Addi¬ 
tions  of  Trap  Boston  Elevated 
Railway  Co. 

The  Boston  Elevajted  Railway  Co.  was  first 
chartered  in  1894,  and  the  charter  was  amended 
in  1897.  It  authorizes  building,  leasing  and 
operating  surface  and  elevated  street-railway 
lines,  in  and  about  Boston,  and  for  furnish¬ 
ing  rapid  transit  generally  in  the  Metropoli¬ 
tan  district.  The  company  assumed  charge  of 
the  consolidated  system,  from  which  the  present 
one  has  grown,  in  January,  1898.  In  September, 
October  and  November,  1910,  the  company  pub¬ 
lished  a  series  of  ma{>s  with  explanatory  notes,  in 
the  Boston  daily  papers,  as  a  part  of  its  policy 
of  publicity,  and  to  show  the  developments  com¬ 
pleted,  underway  and  ‘proposed.  These  maps 
and  notes  have  recently  been  reprinted  in  pamph¬ 
let  form  for  convenient  preservation  and  con¬ 


so  it  was  placed  on  Atlantic  Ave.,  along  the 
eastern  waterfront.  In  addition,  trains  were 
operated  through  the  Tremont  St.  subway,  a 
more  direct  line  under  the  business  section  of 
Boston.  The  Tremont  St.  subway  however  was 
intended  for  surface  cars  and  was  diverted  from 
its  intended  use  to  reduce  the  delays  of  waiting 
for  additional  tunnels  for  the  “Elevated.”  The 
time  between  the  terminals  named  was  cut  from 
45  to  21  minutes  and  more  convenient  connec¬ 
tion  was  furnished  between  North  and  South 
Stations  (Boston  and  Maine,  and  New  York,  New 
Haven  &  Hartford  R.  R.  terminals,  respectively). 
The  cost  of  the  elevated  lines,  5%  miles,  was 
$20,300,009,  including  real  estate,  stations  and 
equipment.  The  cost  of  the  subway,  1  1/3  miles 
double  track  and  %  mile  four  track,  was  $4,- 
200,000. 

The  second  great  step  was  the  East  Boston 
Tunnel,  claimed  to  be  the  first  structure  built 
under  tide  water  for  surface  cars.  It  carries  a 
double-track  line  connecting  Maverick  Sq.,  East 


ments  was  the  extension  of  the  double¬ 
elevated  structure  in  1909  southwest  from 
ley  St.,  Roxbury,  to  Forest  Hills,  West  I 
bury.  (See  Eng.  News,  Dec,  16,  1909.)  Su| 
tracks  of  the  Old  Colony  St.  Ry.  Co.  in 
Roxbury  and  Dorchester  were  leased, 
residents  of  West  Roxbury  are  now 
to  continue  on  to  the  business  distric 
Boston  for  a  single  fare,  where  before  two 
collected.  An  artistic  station  was  erecte 
Forest  Hills,  having  a  capacity  of  1,140  car 
hour  but  used  at  present  by  a  maximum  ol 
The  Dudley  St.  station  was  remodeled  an< 
larged  to  a  capacity  of  1640  cars  per  hour, 
present  traffic  requires  a  maximum  of  998 
per  hour  maximum.  It  is  claimed  that 
people  use  this  station  daily  than  use  any 
steam  or  electric-railway  station  in  the  v 
This  2%-mile,  double-track  extension  cost 
000,000  with  equipment  and  station  change 
While  these  several  large  single  extensions 
been  completed  some  60  odd  additions  have 


FIG.  1.  SYSTEM  OF  THE  BOSTON  ELEVATED  RAILWAY  CO.,  AT  THE 
BEGINNING  OF  OPERATION  JANUARY,  1898. 


sultation.  The  following  summary  has  been  taken 
from  this  pamphlet  with  a  few  data  obtained 
directly. 

It  appears  that  when  the  company  began  opera¬ 
tions  in  1898,  the  population  of  the  district 
served  was  about  843,000,  including  the  whole  or 
portions  of  Boston  proper,  East  and  South  Boston, 


Charlestown,  Chelsea^  Everett,  Malden,,  Somer¬ 


ville,  Medford,  Arlington,  Cambridge,  Water- 
town,  Brighton,  Brookline,  Roxbury  and  Dor¬ 


chester.  To-day  the,  territory  is  substantially 


larger  and  includes  Belmont  and  other  suburban 
districts.  The  population  is  approximately  1,- 
100,000,  an  increase  of  30%.  In  1898  the  invest¬ 
ment  of  the  company  was  $25,960,000,  compared 
with  $81,440,000,  for  to-day,  an  increase  of  213%. 
The  company  has  stated  that  absolutely  none 
of  this  investment  ame  out  of  the  earnings, 
and  that  the  stockholders  have  paid  in  $5,225,000, 
in  premiums  on  stockj  all  of  which  has  been  In¬ 
vested  in  property  bit  on  which  no  dividends 
are  paid. 

The  first  great  advance  was  the  completion  of 
the  original  double-trick  elevated  line  from  Sul¬ 
livan  Sq.,  Charlestown,  to  Dudley  St.,  Roxbury, 
in  1901.  An  elevate*  structure  could  not  well 
he  erected  through  the  crowded  business  streets 


Boston,  with  the  Atlantic  Ave.  Elevated,  with  the 
Tremont  St.  Subway  and  with  the  Washington 
St.  Tunnel  (completed  later).  The  time  from 
Maverick  Sq’.  to  the  old  State  House  (1%  miles) 
was  reduced  from  30  to  5%  minutes,  and  60  cars 
per  hour  are  being  operated  in  rush  hours  with 
a  possible  increase  to  180.  This  tunnel  was  open¬ 
ed  Dec.  30.  1904,  and  it  cost  with  equipment  $3,- 
500,000.  It  was  built  mainly  in  stiff  clay  and 
there  were  no  land  damages. 

The  third  step  was  the  opening  ,  in  1908  of  the 
Washington  St.  double-track  tunnel,  one  mile 
long.  This  carries  certain  of  the  “elevated” 
trains  under  the  principal  streets  of  Boston  and 
permitted  restoring  the  Tremont  St.  subway  to 
its  intended  use  for  surface  cars.  It  further 
reduced  the  time  between  the  Sullivan  Sq.  and 
Dudley  St.  terminals  to  18%  minutes.  It  be¬ 
came  possible  to  use  up  to  eight-car  trains  and 
the  capacity  of  the  elevated  line  was  thereby 
increased  70%.  This  tunnel,  however,  is  claimed 
to  be  the  most  expensive  mile  of  railway  line 
in  the  world,  costing  $10,000,000,  with  equip¬ 
ment.  It  was  built  mostly  by  “cut-and-cover” 
methods.  (See  Eng.  News,  April  19,  1906;  Oct. 
7,  1909). 

A  fourth  step  in  these  rapid-transit  develop¬ 


made  to  the  surface  lines.  When  the  West! 
Ry.  was  leased,  in  1897,  there  were  304% 
of  surface  track,  the  growth  of  41  years.  1 
years  156  miles  have  been  added,  or  ■ 

and  at  a  cost  of  some  $12,000,000.  The  1 
ber  of  free  transfer  points  has  increased,  lit 
time,  from  20  to  79,  and  the  number  of  ■ 
transfer  passengers  from  23, 800,000  ^  185 ( 

')00  per  year.  Besides  the  2l9"'dievated-ra 
cars,  389  additional  surface-line  cars  have 
put  in  service. 

In  addition,  four  more  important  steps  i 
rapid-transit  development  of  this  district  ar 
der  construction  or  authorized  and  appi 
In  Fig.  2,  these  proposed  extensions  are  s 
with  the  additions  already  made.  In  Fi 
and  2,  solid  lines  indicate  double  track 
dotted  lines,  single  track. 

The  first  of  these  is  the  East  Cambridge  dc 
track  elevated  extension  from  the  North  St; 
The  Charles  River  will  be  crossed  on  a  com 
arch  viaduct  now  being  built  beside  the  Cl 
River  dam,  surface  cars  will  climb  to  the 
vated  structure  by  an  incline  at  Lechmer 
East  Cambridge;  at  the  North  Station  thej 
descend  into  the  Tremont  St.  subway.  The  c 
this  one-mile  extension  is  estimated  at  $4,30 


V#  .'J 


June  l,  1911. 


Sir:- 

As  you  are  aware,  the  United  States  has  undertaken 
certain  irrigation  projects  in  connection  with  the  lower  Col¬ 
orado  River  at  or  near  Yuma,  Arizona,  and  it  is  also  interest¬ 
ed  m  the  protection  of  the  lands  and  irrigation  system  in 
the  Imperial  Valley,  in  California. 

In  connection  with  these  matters,  and  due  to  floods 
which  have  heretofore  occurred  in  the  Colorado  River  below 
Yuma  which  have  overflowed  Into  the  Imperial  Valley  and  the 
Salton  Sink,  the  United  States  has  undertaken  certain  engin¬ 
eering  works  for  the  protection  of  property  in  the  United 
States  from  damage  by  overflow  of  the  Colorado  River. 

During  the  past  few  months,  a  dam  across  the  Abejas  River 
and  connecting  levees  north  and  south  of  this  dam,  all  in 
Mexican  territory,  have  been  completed  at  large  expense  to 
the  United  States  Government  *  Considerable  portions  of  these 
levees,  however,  have  quite  recently  been  broken  through  and 
washed  away  by  high  water  in  the  Colorado  River.  The  appro¬ 
priation  for  the  construction  and  maintenance  of  these  works 
has  been  practically  exhausted,  and  it  is  necessary  to  deter¬ 
mine  whether  their  reconstruction  is  desirable,  and,  if  so, 
what  modifications,  if  any,  should  be  made  in  plans  therefor. 

For  the  purpose  of  procuring  the  best  available  advice 
upon  the  entire  subject-matter,  and  by  authority  of  the 
President,  I  have  called  a  conference  of  the  following  persons, 
who  are  interested  in  and  familiar  with  the  conditions: 


I 


— 2 — 

:1"‘  F-  ”\Newe11’  Director,  United  States  Reclamation 

oG  —Vi  C6  • 

General  w.  L.  Marshall,  Consulting  Engineer,  Department 
or  the  Interior. 

Mr.  J.  A.  Ockerson,  United  States  Engineer  in  charge  of 
construction  work  on  lov/er  Colorado  River. 

Mr.  C.  F.  Grunsky ,  Civil  Engineer,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Mr.  J.  B.  Lippincott,  Civil  Engineer,  and  Aqueduct  Com¬ 
missioner,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

General  H.  G.  Otis,  Prosident,  Colorado  River  Land  Company 

Colonel  Epes  Randolph,  Chief  Engineer,  Southern  Pacific 
Company. 

This  conference  will  meet  at  the  office  of  the  United 
States  Reclamation  Service  at  10.00  a.  m.  Friday,  June  2, 
for  preliminary  discussion,  and  will  continue  its  sessions  as 
may  be  hereafter  determined,  for  the  purpose  of  presenting 
such  advice  as  its  members  are  able  to  give  with  regard  to 
the  adoption  of  adequate  plans  by  the  United  Stages  Government 
for  the  protection  of  property  in  the  United  States  from  dam¬ 
age  by  overflow  of  the  Colorado  River  south  of  Yuma,  Arizona. 

It  is  desired  that  the  conference  shall  consider  and 
make  appropriate  recommendations  as  to  what  works,  if  any, 
the  United  States  Government  should  undertake  for  the  purpose 
above  stated,  including  the  protection  of  property  in  the 
United  States  from  such  damage,  if  any,  as  may  result  from 
the  overflow  of  the  Colorado  River  into  Mexican  territory  and 
thence  into  the  United  States. 

In  this  connection,  it  is  suggested  that  the  folIo?/ing 
questions  may  be  among  those  entitled  to  consideration: 

(1)  Within  what  northerly  and  southerly  limits  will 


a  breach  in  the  levees  or  banks  of  the  Colorado 
River  certainly  flow  into  the  drainage  areas  of 
the  Alamo  and  New  rivers,  tributary  to  Salton  Sea? 
(2)  Within  what  limits  will  such  breaches  discharge 
into  the  lower  delta  of  the  Colorado  River,  and 
moro  remotely  into  the  New  River,  or  Alamo  River? 
o)  What  is  the  best  practical  method,  including 
character  and  location  of  structure  for  the  pro¬ 
tection  of  lands  and  property  in  the  United  States, 
for  the  prevention  of  - 

(a)  A  break,  or  crevasse,  in  the  levees  that 
will  cause  a  discharge  directly  into  the  Im¬ 
perial  Canal,  thence  through  Imperial  Valley 
and  New  River  barranca  into  Salton  Sea; 

(b)  A  break  discharging  directly  into  the  Para- 
dones  and  thence  into  the  New  River  barranca 
and  Salton  Sea? 

(if)  What  remedial  or  precautionary  works  will  pre¬ 
vent  damage  from  a  crevasse  of  either  character 
above  described  by  diverting  discharge  to  the 
Gulf  of  California  and  away  from  Salton  Sea  until 
break  may  be  repaired? 

(5)  What  works  are  necessary  and  advisable  to  pre¬ 
vent  crevasses  south  of  limits  of  breaks  of  the 
above  character,  and  more  remote  and  indirect 
damage  to  property  in  the  United  States  — 

(a)  By  backwater  via  Volcano  Lake  and  New  River 


into  Imperial  Valley; 


(b)  By  "cut  backs "  or  such  material  increase 
of  slope  as  may  cause  the  lowering  of  the  bed 
of  the  Colorado  River  to  such  extent  as  to  en¬ 
danger  the  Yuma  or  Imperial  Valley  systems? 

(6)  What,  if  any,  arrangements  should  be  made  with 
the  Government  of  Mexico  as  to  the  execution  of 
such  works,  if  any,  as  it  may  be  advisable  to  con¬ 
struct  in  Mexican  territory,  at  the  expense  of  the 
United  States,  including  works  for  the  transmis¬ 
sion  of  water  mom  the  Colorado  River  through 
Mexican  territory  and  back  into  the  Unir.ed  States? 

It  is  desired  that  the  conference  shall  meet  with  the 

President,  at  the  White  House,  next  Wednesday,  at  3:00  p.m., 

and  that  in  the  meantime  it  may  give  such  consideration  to 

the  matters  suggested  above  as  will  enable  its  members  to 

present  their  opinions  thereon  for  the  consideration  of  the 
President • 

Yours  respectfully, 

(Signed)  Walter  L.  Fisher, 

Secretary. 


Mr.  F.  H.  Newell, 

Director,  United  States  Reclamation  Service, 
Department  of  the  Interior. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR 
REPORT  OF  SPECIAL  BOARD 
ON 

COLORADO  RIVER  WORK 
TO 

PROTECT  IMPERIAL  VALLEY,  Cal. 

Was2iington,  D 
June  7, 


Washington,  D.  c., 

June  7,  191!. 


The  Honorable 


The  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

Sir:- 

in  accordance  with  instructions  of  June  1,  copy  here¬ 
with,  the  members  of  this  Conference  respectfully  submit  the 
following  categorical  replies. 

1‘  A  breacil  in  the  west  bank  or  levee  of  Colo¬ 
rado  River  if  made  at  or  within  ten  miles  south  of  the  Cal¬ 
ifornia  boundary  or  north  of  Mile  is  below  Yuma  Brldge  as 

snown  on  map  of  j.  A.  Ockerson,  herewith,  will  result  in  water 
flowing  directly  into  the  drainage  areas  of  the  Alamo  and  New 

Rivers ,  and  thence  into  Salton  Sea,  which  would  be  disastrous  i 
property  in  the  United  States. 

2.  A  break  in  the  river  bank  at  any  point  be¬ 
tween  Miles  is  and  55  below  Yuma  Bridge,  as  shown  on  said  map, 
will  result  in  spreading  water  over  the  delta  of  the  Colorado 

River,  with  a  flow  into  New  River  via  Volcano  Lake;  menacing 
Imperial  Valley. 

3-  (a)  The  best  practical  method  for  the  protection 

of  lands  and  property  in  the  United  states  against  a  discharge 
directly  into  the  Imperial  Canal  and  thence  through  Imperial 
Valley  into  Salton  Sea,  is  to  protect  and  maintain  the  levees 
as  at  present  located  for  a  distance  of  at  least  ten  miles  south 


— 2— 


of  the  California  boundary,  and  to  hold  the  river  by  adequate 
ban*-  revetment  practically  on  its  present  alignment • 

(b)  This  levee,  if  extended  to  a  point  opposite 
the  south  boundary  of  Arizona  or  about  Mile  27,  will  also 
prevent  a  discharge  directly  into  the  Paredones. 

^  As  a  remedial  or  precautionary  work  to  pre¬ 
vent  damage  which  might  result  from  a  crevasse  directly  into 
Imperial  Canal  or  Alamo  River,  we  have  considered  a  secondary 
levee  west  of  the  river  levees  with  gates  and  sill  across 
Imperial  Canal  with  large  channels  leading  to  the  natural  de¬ 
pressions  or  diverting  works  conducting  the  water  south¬ 
westerly  into  channels  leading  into  Volcano  Lake;  but  it  is 
believed  that  the  cost  of  any  such  secondary  defense  could  be 

better  expended  in  maintaining  the  main  line  of  defense  at  the 
river* 

(b)  As  a  necessary  defense  against  the  northerly 
f 1 ow  of  any  water  reaching  Volcano  Lake,  whatever  be  the  treat¬ 
ment  of  the  Lower  Colorado  River,  there  should  be  an  embankment 
veil  protected  against  wave  wash  on  its  south  slope,  construct¬ 
ed  about  on  the  line  of  the  levees  already  built  extending  from 
high  ground  north  of  Volcano  Lake  to  a  connection  with  the  levees 
already  built  by  the  California  Development  Company  southwesterly 
toward  this  region  from  the  Colorado  River.  The  top  of  this 
embankment  should  at  its  ’western  end  be  not  less  than  ten 
feet  higher  than  the  rim-land  at  Volcano  Lake.  This  embank¬ 
ment  is  an  essential  requisite  as  a  protection  of  Imperial  Valley 


— 3 — 

against  menace  from  the  south  and  should  be  constructed  with 
out  delay. 


5-  (a)  The  maintenance  of  the  works  constructed  in 

1906  and  1907,  closing  the  breaks  of  the  Colorado  into  the 
Alamo  and  the  maintenance  of  these  and  of  the  river  levees 


since  constructed  as  far  south  as  the  head  of  the  Abejas ,  are 
essential  requirements.  suitable  arrangements  for  their  re¬ 
pair  and  maintenance  should  be  made  with  Mexico  through  the 
proper  au  horities.  With  the  cooperation  of  Mexico,  it  is 
desirable  as  a  feature  of  the  permanent  solution  of  the 
river  problem  that  the  Abejas  break  be  closed  and  that  the 
levee  constructed  in  1911  be  repaired  and  maintained  and 
the  Colorado  River  restored  to  its  former  course.  we  do  not 
consider  the  immediate  closure  of  the  break  into  the  Abejas 

river  and  the  reconstruction  of  the  levees  below  the  break  as  es¬ 


sential  to  the  protection  of  property  in  the  United  States.  The 

ultimate  treatment  of  this  section  of  the  Colorado  River  may  well 

be  determined  by  negotiations  between  the  Governments  of  the 
two  countries. 


(b)  Provided  tne  water  of*  the  Colorado  is  dis— 
charged  into  the  Gulf  of  California  through  the  Abejas  into 
the  Pescadero  and  Hardy  Rivers,  there  is  little  probability  of 
cut-back  affecting  the  Laguna  Dam.  such  cut-back  will  not  in¬ 
juriously  affect  the  heading  of  the  Imperial  Canal  or  levees 
ad ja rent  tnereto  with  a  possible  exception  of  requiring  the 
lowering  of  the  intake  of  the  Imperial  Canal  a  few  feet. 


This 


is  not  a  serious  matter  and  is  one  that  should  be  dealt  with 
by  the  California  Development  Company  itself  when  necessary. 

The  diversion  by  the  California  Development  Company  should  be 
facilitated  during  low  water  stages  by  dredging  or  by  lowering 
the  sill  of  its  intake  rather  than  by  placing  obstructions 
in  the  channel  of  the  river  below  the  intake. 

6.  In  view  of  the  existing  emergencies  along 
the  Colorado  River,  arrangements  should  be  made  with  the  Govern¬ 
ment  O'.  Mexico  to  provide  for  the  early  creation  of  an  Inter¬ 
national  Colorado  River  Commission,  embracing  in  its  member¬ 
ship  both  American  and  Mexican  engineers,  invested  with  large 
powers  and  ample  authority  to  examine  into  and  to  submit  a 
basis  for  the  adjustment  of  all  questions  relating  to  the  con¬ 
servation,  use,  and  control  of  the  waters  of  the  Colorado  River, 
with  a  view  to  such  Governmental  action  as  shall  result  in  a 
complete,  just  and  final  settlement  of  all  such  matters  at  is¬ 
sue  between  the  two  nations. 

We  reC'  mmend  that  further  work  should  be  under¬ 
taken  at  once  and  in  approximately  the  following  order: 

(a)  T&e  levees  north  of  Volcano  Lake  should  be 
raised,  strengthened  and  extended. 

(b)  The  existing  levees  along  the  wds&  bank  of 
Colorado  River  should  be  repaired,  protected  and  maintained 
to  the  Abejas. 

For  this  purpose  and  to  meet  emergencies, 

there  should  be  immediately  available  the  sum  of  at  least 

$1,000,000. 


— 5- 


The  conference  ventures  to  suggest  certain  International 
questions  which  are  involved,  and  which  will  inevitably 
ha^e  to  be  met  sooner  or  later: 

(a)  The  matter  of  the  permanent  protection  of 
existing  works  on  both  sides  of  the  International 
Boundary  line,  the  construction  of  further  works  and 
the  conditions  under  which  the  present  and  future 
projects  may  be  carried  out  on  Mexican  soil,  with  the 
consent  and  cooperation  of  the  Government  of  Mexico, 
for  the  benefit  of  both  countries  to  the  end  that 
the  greatest  practicable  quantity  of  the  water  of  the 
Colorado  River  may  be  made  available  for  irrigation 
by  means  of  storage  reservoirs  and  otherwise  and  the 
least  possible  quantity  be  permitted  to  flow  unused 
to  the  sea;  and  to  what  extent  the  cost  of  such  main¬ 
tenance  should  be  chargeable  to  the  properties  bene- 
fitted  and  to  what  extent  chargeable  to  either  Government; 

(b)  what  permanent  agreements  with  the  Govern¬ 
ment  of  Mexico  shall  be  entered  into,  having  in  view  the 
just  apportionment  of  the  waters  between  the  two  coun¬ 
tries,  irrigation  to  be  paramount  to  navigation. 

(c)  The  method  by  which  either  nation  may  acquire 
rights  of  way  for  canals,  levees,  $nd  related  works,  each 
within  the  territory  of  the  other,  and  the  authority  to 
maintain  such  works; 


— 6— 


(d.)  The  modification  of  the  boundary  line 
between  the  United  States  and  Mexico  with  a  view  to 
facilitating  the  solution  of  the  entire  Colorado  River 
problem.  An  authoritative,  just,  and  final  determi¬ 
nation  of  this  important  question,  now  a  matter  of 
puolic  discussion,  will  have  the  effect  of  removing  existing 
doubts  in  the  public  mind,  and  of  settling  the  matter 
for  the  benefit  of  all  concerned. 

The  members  of  the  Conference  desire  to  call  attention 
to  the  fact  that  the  plan  and  execution  of  the  work  accom¬ 
plished  during  1911,  follov/ed  well-established  principles  of 
good  engineering.  That  so  large  an  amount  was  accomplished 
in  such  a  brief  space  of  time  under  adverse  circumstances 
is  worthy  of  the  highest  commendation.  That  the  restoration 
of  the  Colorado  River  to  its  former  channel  was  not  realized, 
is  chargeable  to  the  delay  in  the  diplomatic  negotiations  which 
prevented  prompt  inauguration  of  the  work  and  its  prosecution 
during  the  low  water  season,  and  also  to  the  disturbed  polit¬ 
ical  situation  and  strife  in  Mexico  which  demoralised  labor 
conditions. 

The  members  of  the  Conference  in  addition  to  the  con¬ 
clusions  above  reached  present  also  a  statement  of  physical 
and  related  facts  embodied  in  the  accompanying  abstract  of 
the  data  available.  These  are  found  largely  in  the  reports 
of  J.  a.  Ockerson,  dated  October  4,  1910,  and  May  20,  1911, 
and  in  the  earlier  reports  of  C.  E.  Grunsky,  the  first  ad- 


— 7 — 


dressed  to  the  Director  of  the  Geological  survey  under  date 
of  April  4,  1906,  and  the  second  to  the  Secretary  of  the  In¬ 
terior  dated  June  9,  1907,  also  to  the  printed  hearings  be¬ 
fore  the  subcommittee  of  the  Committee  on  Claims  of  the  United 
States  Senate,  referring  to  S4170,  January  21,  1909. 

Very  respectfully, 

(Signed) 

F.  H.  Newell,  Chairman, 

W.  L.  Marshall, 

<J  •  A,  Ocher  son, 

C.  F*  Grunsky , 

H.  G*  Otis, 

B .  Lippincott ♦ 


ttft y..:i  ivu  X4»oJkrv?{  lo 

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L_r>< ei  C Oi  c  r Riy  y 

The  profiftnt  Situation,  June,  19H. 

For  centuries  the  mein  flow  of  the  Colorado  River  has 
been  die  charged  direct*  into  the  fiulf  of  California,  exee,  t- 

lBe  °nly  the  y*“  190S-06  ^  flowed  temp  or  art*  into 

the  depressed  area  in  California  known  as  toe  Cahuiliu  or 
S&lton  Bailie 

The  Lower  Colorado  River  has  toe  usual  characteristics 
cf  sedimentary  streams,  although  so.ee  of  toe  features  of  its 
regimen  are  accentuated,  such  as  toe  percentage  of  sediment, 
the  slope,  toe  very  fine  material  composing  its  bed  and  bar L, 
and  toe  extreme  elevation  of  its  delta  above  Salton  Busin.  The 
ratio  of  sediment  to  water  is  1  to  363,  while  in  toe  Bissies- 
iPIi  river  this  ratio  is  1  to  1600.  ft,  total  annual  volume 
of  sediment  amounts  to  53  square  miles  1  foot  deep. 

The  material  of  toe  bed  is  so  easily  eroded  that  its  ele¬ 
vation  becomes  a  function  of  the  stage,  while  no  fixed  relation 
between  stags  and  volume  of  discharge  can  be  traced.  |M  in¬ 
stance,  in  June,  1904,  at  toe  Yuma  gage  of  126.3,  toe  dis¬ 
charge  measured  50,000  second-feet,  while  at  the  sums  stage 
in  December,  1906,  the  discharge  was  72,000  eeoend-feet. 

Records  of  stage  have  been  kept  continuous*  at  Yuma  since 

1678.  The  lowest  stage  recorded  to  date  was  in  October,  1679, 
when  toe  ga^e  l#wS  113.*  feet  toove  leTel> 

The  highest  stage  recorded  was  on  February  26,  1691,  when 
the  gage  read  133.2  feet  above  sea  level.  This  gives  the  extreme 


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ao  £G  feet. 


ran  ;e  in  stape  at  Yuma  since  g«^s  w&u  established 

Regular  discharge  raeaaur  extent  a  were  inaugurated  by  the 
U.  S.  Reclamation  Service  in  1903,  Since  that  time,  the  lo-e^t 
volune  ********  WM  on  January  12,  1903,  when  the  river  carried 
but  ^t694  cubic  feet  *«*  second,  with  gage  reading  116.6  feet. 

The  largest  volume  recorded  woe  on  June  Z4 ,  1909  ,  ,m,ii  the 
ixeca  reached  149,500  cubic  feet  per  second,  with  gage  reading 
130 *?  feet* 

The  elevation  of  the  lov.  water  bed  at  the  discharge  station 
at  Yuma,  cn  Seoembtr  16,  1906,  was  113.5  feet  at  the  deepest 
part,  while  during  the  following  great  flood  of  1909,  the  bed 

wai5  6C0ured  dmii  to  •»  elevation  of  77. 2  feet  above  sea  level  * 
a  dli * erjnee  ox  $oms  36*3  feet.  In  this  way,  the  stream  read!, 
ly  adjusts  1  tee  If  to  the  volume  which  it  is  required  to  carry 
if  con  lined  to  a  fixed  channel* 

The  high  water  channel  of  the  Colorado  ranges  from  600 
to  3000  feet  or  more  in  width,  and  i»  quite  shallow,  while  the 
lo*  water  channel  is  500  to  loco  feet  wide,  and  wanders  over  the 
whole  range  of  the  high  water  bed*  The  high  sater  bed  la  more 
•  <r.*5vi  obstructed  with  vegetation,  which  Springe  up  in  the 

interval  between  f locust*  The  high  water  sank,  which  lies  along 

the  concave  side  of  the  atreum  is  usually  well  defined  and 

m  far  ly  v  rtical,  6  to  6  ieet  in  height*  The  opposite  L^nk  i© 
often  ^ u i  to  i nui.fi  iu  te  • 

The  trees  along  the  banka  are  in  many  cases  buried  in  the 


depooits  for  several  feet  in  depth,  and  the  roots  of  smaller 


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growth  aloe  extend  well  a o» n ,  The  up]  er  adobe  soil,  from  a  to 
«  feet  thick,  or  sometimes  even  more,  is  filled  with  cracks 
through  »>hich  water  readily  finds  its  »ay. 

So  coarse  sand  or  gravel  1*  found  on  the  low  water  bars, 
which  are  composed  very  largely  of  fine  eiit. 

The  Colorado  River  for  a  distance  of  about  20  miles  be¬ 
ginning  at  a  point  about  6  miles  below  Yuma  foriila  the  boundary 
between  the  united  States  and  Mexico.  Its  navigability  was  rec¬ 
ognized  in  both  toe  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo  in  1648  and 
in  toe  treat*  with  Mexico  of  1663.  Under  the  former  neither 
oountry  is  to  p  xmlt  toe  execution  of  ary  works  throughout  the 
portion  01  toe  river  which  is  a  common  boundary  that  would 
interfere  with  the  river*  c  navigability.  Under  fee  latter  treaty 
fee  free  tod  uninterrupted  passage  of  vessels  and  citizens  of 
the  United  States  ia  guaranteed  through  the  river. 

The  navigation  interests  on  toe  Colorado  river  below  Y»,n. 
have  ben  of  no  practical  importance  since  toe  completion 
of  the  Southern  Pacific  railroad  to  toe  river  at  Yuma  in  1677. 

The  apex  of  the  river  delta  ia  at  Pilot  Knob  about  7  miles 
Veiow  Yuma.  Prom  an  elevation  of  about  120  feet  net*  this 
point  the  land  slopes  away  toward  the  south,  southwest  and 
west.  The  fall  of  the  country  southerly  is  about  2  feet  per 
mile  in  the  general  direction  of  the  criminal  couree  of  Colo¬ 
rado  river.  Toward  Volcano  lake  it  la  over  2.6  feet  per  mile 
for  a  distance  of  about  30  miles.  Westerly  along  the  general 


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direotion  of  the  Alamo  river  (now  the  Ic^erial  oanal)  it  aver¬ 
ages  over  2.6  feet  for  a  distance  of  20  miles  increasing  grad¬ 
ually  to  about  5  feet  per  mile  thence  northerly  into  the  de¬ 
pressed  area  of  Imperial  Valley. 

The  fall  from  the  river  toward  the  high  zneaa  at  the  easter¬ 
ly  limit  of  the  river* a  delta  lands  is  about  2  feet  per  mile. 

The  average  flood  slope  of  the  Colorado  river  from  Yuma  to 
the  head  of  tidewater  in  *  distance  of  60  miles  is  1.6  feet. 

The  delta  lands  of  the  river  form  a  barrier  between  the 
Cull  oi  Calif  omia  and  the  ^alton  R&3in  closing  against  the 
base  of  the  Cocopah  mountains  at  Volcano  lake  the  rim  of  which 
has  an  elevation  of  about  34  feet  and  the  bed  of  which  is  about 
17.5  foot  above  sea  level. 

The  northerly  rim  of  Volcano  lake  is  cut  by  the  channel 
of  Kew  River  which  is  one  of  the  outlets  of  the  lake.  The 
principal  outlet  is  to  the  south  through  the  Hardy  Colorado. 

The  lowest  points  of  the  flat  saddle  at  the  north  of  Vol¬ 
cano  lake  have  the  same  general  elevation  as  the  rim  of  the 
lake  about  34  feet. 

It  is  known  from  the  observations  of  Dr.  Wan*P.  Blake, 
geologist  who  was  with  the  exploring  parties  seeking  a  railroad 
route  to  the  Pacific  Coast  (in  1653)  that  preceding  the  middle 
of  the  last  century  the  Colorado  river  at  high  stages  repeatedly 
sent  a  part  of  its  flow  over-bank  at  and  near  Pilot  Knob  and 
that  this  water  found  its  way  in  part  to  the  Alamo  river  in 
which  it  flowed  into  the  Salton  Basin. 


It  ia  known  that  in  recent  years  overbank  flow  in  lar -e 
volume  has  token  place  repeatedly  at  many  points  along  the 
river's  course  and  that  such  overbank  flow  has  found  its 
way  to  the  various  delta  channels  of  the  river.  Some  as  stated, 
reached  Alamo  river,  some  went  by  way  of  the  Paredones  river  and 
liayou  dais  and  also  from  branohes  of  the  Pescadero  into  the 

I 

Volcano  lake  region  and  thence  into  the  Hew  River  toward  the 
north  and  into  the  Hardy  Colorado  toward  the  south.  Some  escap¬ 
ing  from  the  rivor  lower  down  is  carried  by  the  Abejas  river 
and  Other  feeders  into  the  Pescadero  and  thenoe  to  the  Hardy 
Colorado  and  also  into  Volcano  lake  at  its  southerly  end. 

lor  a  half  century  or  more,  Colorado  river  has  been  ready 
to  drop  from  the  ridge  on  which  it  is  at  present  flowing  and  in 
such  event  might  have  taken  a  oourse  either  westerly  and  north¬ 
erly  into  Sal ton  Basin  or  southwesterly  toward  the  southerly 
end  of  Volcano  lake* 

This  tendency  of  the  Colorado  river  to  change  its  course 
has  been  strongly  resisted  by  nature  whioh  has  interposed  ob¬ 
stacles  to  the  erosion  of  pronounoed  channels  away  from  the 
river  during  the  limited  annual  overbank  stage  of  the  river. 

The  annual  inundations  have  resulted  in  promoting  a  dense  growth 
of  vegetation  on  the  unusually  fertile  soils  of  the  delta  partic¬ 
ularly  in  and  along  the  depressions  whioh  led  away  from  the  river 
bank  and  whioh  by  reason  of  being  slightly  depressed  areas  were 


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the  Lioat  regularly  listened  portions  of  the  delta  area.  *>, 
Places  under  natural  conditions,  for  so,.*  miles  away  fro»  the 
river,  were  therefore  covered  with  rank  vegetation,  notably 
with  dense  growths  of  arrow  weed, with  wild  heap,  and  with 

vi I lews  and  cottonwoods.  A  little  more  remote  from  the  stream 

*?©re  iieaquite  thickets,  and  arpat  nr  v,-*  v, 

,  areas  o i  higher  ground  occasionally 

inundated  were  covered  with  quelit*  and  other  plants.  Thile 
large  Volumes  of  water  oould  pass  sluggishly  through  such  dense 
bank-land  vegetation  the  river  found  no  opportunity  to  concen¬ 
trate  its  overbank  flow  and  to  actually  make  the  change  of  Its 

course,  as  it  readily  did  in  1605  when  aided  by  a  small  artifi- 

oial  cut. 


The  river  carries  a  large  amount  of  drift.  Where  water 

becomes  shoal  or  where  the  flow  is  over  ground  covered  with 

standing  bru^h  and  trees  the  drift  ind,*  . 

e  uij.iv  i-od^ea,  j.o&  Jaiaa  becoihe 

serious  obstructions  to  the  free  flow  of  water  and  frequently 

are  potent  factors  in  choking  up  the  high  water  outlets  of  the 
streaiu. 


The  lower  part  of  the  Paredones  was  thus  choked  off  durinr 
1906.  Ohe  river  now  flowing  down  the  AbeJa3,  i8  reported  to 

spread  out  over  mud,  flats  on  which  the  drift  is  accumulating 
several  miles  below  the  point  about  12  miles  easterly  from  the 
northerly  end  of  Volcano  Lake  known  as  Campo  Lino. 

The  height  of  land  which  separates  the  Gulf  of  California 
drainage  basin  from  Salton  Basin  is  not  a  pronounced  ridge.  It 


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i*  a  very  flat  area  with  some  d.pre.a.d  areas  such  a3  Laguna 
Hld*  lying  Seneraliy  between  the  .lightly  higher  hank  land, 
of  the  delta  channels  such  as  the  feeders  of  the  Pesoadero, 
Bayou  Saiz  next  south  of  the  Paredones  and  the  Paredones  itself. 

The  surveys  Bade  under  to.  Ookerson's  direction  in  1910 
and  the  surveys  made  at  various  ti.es  for  a  levee  down  the  slope 
of  the  delta  cone  to  the  northward  of  Volcano  lake  indicate 
clearly  that  the  ground's  surface  has  a  decided  slope  away  from 
Colorado  river.  At  points  near  the  south  boundary  line  of 

Arizona  this  slope  westerly  away  from  the  river  my  be  noted 
at  about  3  feet  per  xnile. 

Or.  the  east,  or  left  bank  of  the  Colorado,  there  is  a 
levee  extending  from  Yuma  to  the  south  boundary  line  of  Arizona, 
a  distance  of  about  26  miles.  This  was  constructed  by  the 
United  States  Reclamation  Service  as  a  part  of  the  works  of 
the  Yuuu  project.  On  the  opposite  bank  the  levees  constructed 
in  1906-07  in  connection  with  the  closure  of  the  breaks  from 
the  Colorado  to  the  Alamo  extend  southerly  from  Pilot  Knob, 
paralleling  the  eatt  bank  levee  for  about  seven  miles,  thence 
•Winging  off  obliquely  away  from  the  river.  Below  Pilot 
T<nob  these  levee3  are  about  1500  feet  apart. 

After  the  flood  of  1910  the  left  bank  levee  was 
breeched  by  bank  erosion  at  a  point  about  12  miles  below 
Yuma.  The  record  for  stability  will,  however,  compare 
favorably  with  similar  structures  on  more  stable  streams, 

1  articularly  when  the  close  proximity  of  the  levee3  to  the 

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8- 


river  i«i  t<*ivan  into  account. 

One  method  of  flood  control  which  has  been  oarried 
out  in  a  asaaure  by  the  California  Uovolcpw.4  Company,  i8 
tha  conatruotion  of  a  line  of  levees,  which  turns  back ’fro, 
the  river  at  a  point  about  6  miles  below  the  International 
Boundary  line,  ud  &  in  a  southwesterly  direction.  This 
levee  i.  finished  to  a  height  of  5  feet  above  high  water 

for  a  diatance  of  14  miles.  Xt  is  covered  wit,  ravel  and 
Carrie 3  a  railroad  track  upon  it. 


iron  the  end  of  this  levee  there  is  an  incomplete  line 
of  levee  for  a  distance  of  about  11  miles  farther.  This 
iovee  ms  constructed  in  the  spring  of  1910,  and  it  is  de¬ 
ficient  in  bo in  height  and  section. 

The re  is  a  gap  of  ten  miley  to  the  west  end  of  the 
Volcano  lake  levee,  which  is  about  7  miles  in  length,  and 
terminates  at  the  high  ground  west  of  Volcano  Lake.  This 
latter  levee  is  also  too  low  to  met  emergencies  that  might 
occur  at  any  flood  stage  of  river.  Where  this  levee  crosses 
Hew  River  flood  gates  with  concrete  abutments  are  provided, 
but  have  been  rendered  useless  by  a  levoo  loop  oonstruoted 
around  them  by  order  of  the  Mexican  Oovsr mmnt. 

nad  natural  conditions  remained  undisturbed  it  seems 
probable  that  Colorado  River  for  many  years  longer  would 
have  continued  to  flow  directly  to  the  Gulf  of  California. 


SiwocwM  o Jt a i  fioste  4  oi  is* 


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9- 


Ths  opportunity  for  tho  river  to  awing  off  to  the 
w03t  froa  its  ridge  was  presented  in  1905,  when  an  open 
dredger  cut  sa.de,  under  the  concession  given  by  the  Mexican 
Government  to  the  Socindad  do  Rlego  y  Terrence  de  In  Baja 
California  (also  known  as  the  Socisdad  de  Yrrignoion  y 
Terrence  de  la  Baja  California)  was  gradually  enlarged  by 
erosion  until  in  November  and  Bee  ember  of  that  year  it 

ma  3UddonlV  torn  out  to  almost  full  flood  capacity  of  the 

river* 

T}.ia  cut  had  been  made  from  the  river  to  the  Imperial 
C'  n  1  at  a  T>oint  about  4*  miles  below  the  boundary  line 
between  California  and  Itexloo.  Its  original  length  was 
about  3300  feet.  All  attempts  to  prevent  the  enlargement 
cf  this  cut,  which  beoame  an  alarming  feature  during  the 
river's  high  otage  in  the  cummer  of  1505,  had  failed. 

Paring  the  high  water  period  of  the  year  1906,  the 
out-pouring  of  the  flood-flow  of  the  Colorado  River  into 
the  Alamo  and  Raw  River  country  caused  a  submersion  of  large 
fcro  ‘3  in  Td>wer  California  and  in  Imperial  Valley.  Towns 
and  a’  itional  large  agricultural  areas  in  Imperial  Val¬ 
ley  were  seriously  menaoed  by  the  rising  flood.  Very 
soon,  however,  the  flow  of  the  water  in  the  depression 
known  as  Hew  River  extended  the  Hew  River  baranoa  up-stream 
to  and  above  Calexico,  gullying  out  a  gorge  which  wa3  in 


nr.-ro  rm  no  tbx  t  '-’OCX  ni  Urns  non  re  l$1  c-t!  ill.©* 

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some  places  a  Quarter  of  ** 

die  wide  &rul  generally  40  to 

80  feet  in  depth. 

upper  end  of  the  baranca  is  now  about  6  alle3 
south  of  the  international  Boundary. 

The  course  of  the  flood  westerly  fro*  the  Ala**  to 
the  Be.  River  in  Lower  California  is  narked  by  extensive 
erosions  in  the  nature  of  channels  and  water  holes  along 
the  line  of  the  former  Beltran  and  Garza  sloughs,  extend in( 
southerly  for  about  3  nfles  fro*  the  Alamo,  near  Ala** 
Mooho  to  near  what  is  now  known  as  Cooopah,  on  the  Inter- 
California  railroad,  and  thence  westward  in  a  network  of 

lrrWgUlar  Ch“nnela  t0Ward  ll0w  «t  and  above  Pasqualito 

Bend. 

Before  the  fact  was  generally  recognized  that 
Colorado  River  was  about  to  make  a  ohange  in  its  point  of 
outfall  by  turning  westerly  into  the  Alas*,  the  California 
Development  Company  found  itself  in  financial  difficulties 
and  had  solicited  a  loan  fro*  the  Southern  Pacific  Cor.puny. 

Tnl*  l0an  Was  m,lc»  but  with  the  understanding  that  the 
Southern  Pacific  was  to  have  control  of  the  expenditure  of 

*****  1<mned’  11  hein«  Proposed  as  the  first  thing  to  be 
done  to  close  the  lower  Mexican  heading  which  had  at  that 

time,  about  June,  1905,  not  yet  assumed  the  character  of 

the  main  river  ohannel. 


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, 

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-11- 


A»  the  location  of  the  healing  to  he  closed  wao  in 
Mexico,  it  was  arranged  that  all  work  done  there  ehould  he 
in  charge  of  the  Mexican  corporation,  the  tiooiodad  de  Hiago 
y  xerrenoo  de  la  Baja  California.  After  several  futile  at¬ 
tempts  in  the  fail  of  1906  to  turn  the  river  away  from  the 
lower  Mexican  heading,  carefully  considered  preparations 
were  made  to  close  thie  heading  during  the  low  stage  of  the 
river  following  on  the  1906  high  imter, 

Xhis  engineering  feat  of  unusual  magnitude  and 
difficulty  was  accomplished  at  a  coot  claimed  hy  the  Southern 
Pacific  Company  to  have  been  about  ^1,500,000.  Early  in 
hovember,  1906,  the  river  had  been  put  back  into  ite  proper 
channel,  the  engineer  in  charge  of  this  work  was  Mr.  H.  i. 
Cory,  who  was  operating  under  the  immediate  direction  of 
Hr. .  >pes  Randolph,  Who  represented  the  Southern  Pacific 
Company  interests.  But  about  a  month  after  the  break 
through  the  river  bank  had  been  closed,  on  December  7th, 

1906,  an  unusual  high  stage  of  the  Colorado  found  a  weak 
spot  under  the  levee  which  had  been  constructed  southward 
from  tho  closure,  and  a  few  days  thereafter  the  entire 
river  was  again  flowing  through  a  second  break  to  the  Alamo. 

Jfor  a  review  of  the  situation  at  that  tins,  refer¬ 
ence  ehould  be  had  to  the  correspondence  between  the  President 
and  Mr.  B.  11.  Karriman  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Company,  and 
other  papers,  as  set  forth  in  the  President's  message  of 


si  l  ».••>**  i&volv  &j  J5/1  U-*  i'd  orUt  to-  <*eJt#*ooX  &A. 

•.  ■•;  v  .:  i.  .  .  ,f  .  .  .  .  k  ,  >i 

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i;  .  ■  J  to  •■-  v;Xi  *.  .  -•-‘U-;. 

'iO  •'>  >:  •< 1  :.  t  J  ■  ,  i l.:q.  . 


*******  “•  Wu7‘  ***•  tetter  with  much  iofor- 

raution  relating  to  the  work  dene  thereafter  in  turning 

th<  river  *  second  time  hack  into  its  proper  courwe,  wiil 

wo  round  in  the  published  account  of  tue  -Southern  Pacific 

Imperial  Valley  Claim-  Hewing  before  a  sub- commit tee  0f 

the  Committee  on  Claims  of  the  Uni  tea  States  Senate,  on 
S  .4170  Thursday,  January  21,  1909 «* 


tte  second  break  to  the  Alamo  wee  successfully 
closed  in  February  ,  1907.  The  actual  conduct  of  the  work  was 
eg; in  in  charge  of  Hr.  Cory,  nominally  noting  aa  an  employee 
and  representative  of  the  Mexican  Irrigation  Company  but 
really  operating  «lth  fhnde  advanced  by  the  Southern  pacific 
Company  through  Mr.  Itpe*  Randolph,  as  agent  of  the  Company. 

Becrttoe  the  work  was  located  in  Mexico,  it  frue 
necessary  to  thus  operate  through  a  Mexican  concern. 

The  Imperial  Canal  is  a  water  diversion  for  irri¬ 
gation  from  Colorado  River  in  California.  Its  course  is 
southerly  from  California  into  Mexico,  paralleling  Colorado 
River  for  a  distance  of  about  5  miles,  thence  it  swings 
westerly  lying  at  the  southerly  base  of  Pilot  Knob,  and  of 
the  sand  hills  southwesterly  from  Pilot  Knob,  reaching  a 
grouted  distance  of  about  9  miles  south  of  the  boundary  line, 
and  again  approaching-  to  within  a  mile  of  the  boundary  in 

the  53d  mile  of  its  course  measured  from  the  present  concrete 

headgate  tit  Pilot  Knob. 


Tnc  o anal  in  C<~li  fornix  ia 


o«md  by  the  California 


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-13- 


Development  Compare,  a  corporation  organized  under  the  laws 

of  Hew  Jersey  on  April  24th,  1696.  This  company  is  the 
successor  in  interest  to  an  earlier  concern,  the  Colorado 
diver  Irrigation  Company,  which  had  failed  for  lack  of  ade¬ 
quate  financial  backing.  The  posting  of  a  notice  of  the 
filing  of  a  claim  to  a  water  right  for  the  canal  was  made 
under  the  laws  of  California  by  Lr.  C.  11 .  Perry  under 
date  of  April  25,  1899.  This  notice  specified  10,000 
second  feet  of  water  and  was  posted  about  one  and  one 
quarter  miles  above  the  California  boundary  line. 

« 

A  canal  wan  constructed  with  its  head  about  one 
nunored  yardB  above  the  boundary  line  and  was  connected  with 
a  canal  constructed  on  Mexican  territory  south  of  the  boun¬ 
dary  line  by  the  Mexican  Irrigation  Company,  already  named, 

all  oi  whose  stock  was  at  that  time  owned  or  controlled  by 
the  California  Development  Company. 

it  is  understood  that  at  that  time  no  right  had 
been  granted  by  the  Mexican  government  to  conduct  water 
through  Mexico  for  use  in  whole  or  in  part  in  California, 
lo  obviate  the  necessity  of  such  a  concession,  the  canal 
from  the  California  line  near  the  river  was  excavated  across 
lan^s  owned  by  the  Mexican  Irrigation  Company  and  was  turned 
loose  in  the  channel  of  the  Alamo  in  which  the  main  flow,  in 
part  through  lagoons  and  through  thickets  of  mesquite  was 
to  tne  lower  Alamo  and  into  what  was  formerly  known  as 
the  hew  river  country  in  California,  now  Imperial  Valley. 

Cuts  were  made  tlirough  swamps  and  thickets  where 


-Si*  - 


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14- 


more  channel  capacity  was  desirable  and  gradually  the  canal 
became  a  continuous  open  waterway. 

After  a  few  years,  successful  operations  in  Imperial 
Valley  resulted  in  demands  for  water  that  exceeded  the  canal 
capacity.  1'he  head  of  the  canal  showed  a  tendency  to  fill 

up  ’ "*• L  1  An  open  out  was  made  around  the  gate  and 

later  filled  again. 

In  1904,  the  California  -Development  Company  ap- 
pealed  to  Congress  for  a  recognition  of  its  claim  to  water 

\ 

for  irrigation  from  Colorado  Kiver.  Nominally  the  Colorado 
Mver  was  recognized  as  a  navigable  stream,  and  there  were 
in  fact  steamboats  upon  the  river,  bailing  to  get  Con¬ 
gressional  recognition  of  any  rights  to  divert  water  from 
the  river,  a  request  was  made  to  have  the  river  declared 
non-navigable  and  the  raatter  was  referred  to  the  Engineer 
Corps  of  the  United  litates  Army. 

About  the  same  time,  the  California  Development 
Company  through  itB  subsidiary  Mexican  corporation  applied 
to  Mexico  lor  a  conccsesion  of  water  from  the  Colorado  Kiver 
and  subject  to  certain  conditions  and  restrictions  the  right 
was  granted  to  the  Mexican  corporation  in  June,  1904,  to 
carry  water  diverted  from  the  river  in  California  through 
Mexico  and  also  to  make  a  diversion  from  the  river  upon 
Aexican  territory  uo  t'ie  ount  oi  10,000  second— feet,  i'he 
principal  condition  iiapo  aed  was  that 


as  much  of  this  water 


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as  night  be  required  not  to  exceed  one-half  thereof  should  bo 
aeid  available  for  use  on  lands  in  Mexico. 

Under  this  Mexican  concession,  a  cut  was  made  from 
the  river  to  the  canal  at  l just  below)  the  California  boun¬ 
dary  line,  but  did  not  prove  adequate  to  relieve  the  short¬ 
age  01  water  in  the  canal.  A  second  cut  was  made  in  October, 
It04,  about  4^  miles  farther  down  stream  and  it  was  this 
cut  which  was  thereafter  enlarged  and  became  for  a  short  time, 
as  already  described,  the  main  channel  of  the  river, 

Ihe  dam  which  was  constructed  aero os  the  Lower 
Mexican  Heading  in  the  fall  of  1906  is  known  as  the  Hind  dam. 
ihis  dam  was  not  seriously  damaged  by  the  second  break  in 
December,  1906,  and  is  still  in  service. 

ihe  work  done  along  the  Colorado  subsequent  to  the 
second  break  and  prior  to  the  time  that  the  river  broke  over 
into  the  Abejae  includes  a  dam  known  as  the  Clarke  dam  built 
of  took  ,  gravel  and  earth  across  the  second  break  in  the 
river  bank;  the  completion  of  the  Hind  dam  across  the  first 
break;  a  levee  or  rather  the  completion  of  a  levee  paralleling 
the  river  from  a  point  at  Pilot  Knob  near  the  International 
boundary  downstream  to  the  dam  across  the’ first  break;  the 
completion  of  a  levee  about  10.25  miles  in  length  downstream 
irorn  tne  Clarke  dam  paralleling  the  river  for  5  miles,  thence 
swinging  obliquely  away  from  the  river;  a  spur  levee  8,317  feet 
long  extending  in  a  southwesterly  direction  from  the  south 


,  2,0*ri$fU  :  ..  0$  Jen  . 


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t 

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;  * 

i  ■  ..-too 

* ■:  •  ••  ..  ■  ■  •*  .;  :•  ni  ..•■  -■  10  r j  •Aiom'tt 


4»Bl  ?XtSta  B®75>X  *Iwq^  .-j  i  .,  v 


i:  j  u  00  ml  X  m  o  'i  i  n  c  x  :y  o  &  ,ii 


C I  ’X - i  c  ' ' flj  \t o «  "  « X  .a  i  ?><  o  j  •  ^  :  \  •.  X 


a  secondary  levee 


end  of  the  Clarke  dan;  the  completion  of 
along  the  Imperial  Canal  from  the  concrete  headgate  in 
California  to  the  lower  heading;  the  construction  of  a 
number  of  cross  levees  from  the  main  to  secondary  levee 
and  from  the  main  levee  inland  and  a  system  of  tracks 
on  levees  and  dams  and  in  the  quarry  at  Pilot  Knob. 

lo  these  works  which  were  constructed  in  connection 
with  the  closure  of  the  second  break  there  were  subse¬ 
quently  added:  an  extension  of  the  levee  about  lu  miles  far¬ 
ther  toward  Volcano  Lake  and  a  levee  about  6  miles  long 
from  the  base  of  Cerro  Prieto  in  a  northeasterly  direction 
located  about  a  mile  north  of  Volcano  Lake.  This  last 
embankment  closes  Lew  Itiver  and  is  intended  to  prevent  Vol¬ 
cano  Lake  from  overflowing  toward  the  north  into  the  Lew 
River  country. 

Luring  the  time  that  the  river  was  making  its  change 
in  1905-06  from  a  course  to  the  Gulf  to  a  course  inland,  there 
was  some  channel  deterioration  below  the  point  where  the  old 
channel  was  abandoned  and  for  a  year  the  lower  delta  areas 
wero  comparatively  dry.  When  therefore  the  river  was  in 
flood  in  1907  with  more  than  its  ordinary* summer  flow,  an 
unusual  proportion  of  the  water  found  its  way  over-bank  into 
the  feeders  of  Pescadero  River  and  other  channels  nearer  the 
Gulf.  There  was  less  than  the  ordinary  amount  of  vegetation 

to  check  the  flow  of  this  water  with  the  result  that  pro¬ 
nounced  channel  erosion  took  place  notably  in  some  of  the 


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:i 


feeders  of  Pescadero  hiver  arid  in  the  Abejas,  and  by  1906 
it  had  become  apparent  that  one  of  these  high  water  chan¬ 
nel®  would  be  cut  back  to  the  river.  This  happened  in 
11-09.  The  Abejas  which  had  been  known  for  many  years 
as  a  high  water  outlet  was  enlarged  by  the  outgoing  water 
to  full  river  dimensions  and  the  entire  low  water  flow  and 
most  of  the  high  water  took  a  course  westerly  and  south- 
westerly  toward  Volcano  Lake  and  toward  the  Hardy  Colorado. 

The  break  ir>  in  the  right  banlt  about  20  miles 
by  river  below  the  Cali fornia-Mexi can  boundary  line  and  the 
water  flowing  through  this  channel  finds  its  way  down  the 
Pescadero  through  Volcano  Lake  and  the  Hardy,  thence  to  the 
junction  of  the  Hardy  with  the  Colorado.  In  its  passage  to 

i 

the  Hardy  the  silt  is  practically  all  eliminated  and  this 
deposit  is  rapidly  raising  the  foot  of  the  steep  slope  with 
the  result  that  a  slope  line  may  be  developed  not  greatly 
in  excess  of  the  normal  stream. , firing  the  summer  of  1910  a 
shortage  of  water  in  the  Imperial  Canal  developed  and  this 
was  attributed  to  the  lowering  of  the  bed  of  the  river  in 
consequence  of  the  Abejas  break.  To  remedy  this  difficulty 
and  protect  Imperial  Valley  from  damage  by  floods  the  fol¬ 
lowing  joint  resolution  of  Congress  approved  June  25,  1910, 
was  passed: 

“That  the  sum  of  $1,000,000,  or  so  much 
thereof  as  may  be  necessary,  is  hereby  appropriated, 
out  of  any  money  in  the  Treasury  not  otherwise  ap¬ 
propriated,  to  be  expended  by  the  President,  for  the 


VI 


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*  • 

<  *  ••  •  ■■'•'  ;• '  ■  !  •  ”  :  ..  v .  -, . ,  ,  .;  ; 


i'  • .••  »,v  :■:.£■ .? 


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-le- 


An  investigation  of  the  conditions  at  the  head 


of  tne  imperial  Canal  was  made  under  instructions  from  the 


Secretary  of  the  Interior  by  Mr.  J.  a.  Ockereon  and  it 


r/as  definitely  ascertained  that  the  shortage  of  water  was 

due  mainly  to  the  silting  up  of  both  the  intake  and  the 
canal •  Kp,  Ockereon  eayej 

*±wo  courses  were  open  to  remedy  these  defects, 
With  proper  appliances,  the  simplest  plan  would  have  been 
to  dredge  out  the  intake  .  Indeed,  this  should  have  been 
done  immediately  after  the  passage  of  the  summer  flood,  and 
in  all  prooability  a  disastrous  shortage  of  water  would 
have  been  averted.  Or,  the  water  could  be  raised  to  such 
an  extent  by  means  of  a  submerged  dam  just  below  the  in¬ 


take,  as  to  fill  the  canal  without  dredging. 


J 

> 


It  seems  that  1200  to  1800  second-feet  are  nec 
eesar;y  to  satisfy  the  demands  of  the  area  nov*'  under  cul¬ 


tivation  and  to  meet  the  roquiremento  of  the  large  herds 
of  stock  and  for  domestic  use,  as  these  are  wholly  de¬ 


pendent  on  the  canal  foi*  their  entire  supply,  as  there  are 
no  wells;  neither  are  there  any  storage  tanks  for  use  in 


nl  w.~\  a&iusl  ©riJ  Jok*  ho':uk; 

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:..  ?.•> ::.  *  cw  ]•. os  Jti oik:  i.,v  ra  dm*.:. .  iffmt »  vtt  la  .‘•*k 

io  at  Lull  susd  ftirfdiv  x&J.oft  xfoue  t©  aoJtd'Xoq  •£«* 

,  *.>  t 1. 

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«  •  ‘  , 


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:'  ■  ■■  ■  •.•  .  :  JJ  •'  v»\ 


> 


19 


tiding  over  an  emergency.  such  as  come  fro„  a 

ureoic  in  the  canal,  that  would  cut  off  the  entire  water 

supply  for  a  time  and  cause  groat  suffering  to  the  people 

and  to  live  otoclc. 


Xn  the  latter  part  of  July,  the  volume  passing 
the  head  gates  had  dropped  down  to  746  second  feet  and 
the  conditions  bseaas  alar  •’ling .  Only  395  second  feet 
reached  Imperial  Valley. 

'Xne  California  Development  Company  secured  a 
dredge,  with  which  to  clear  out  the  deposits  in  the  in- 
take,  and  ai30  took  steps  to  build  a  submerged  dam,  on 
which  wor*  was  begun  July  22nd.  By  August  23rd,  a  tres¬ 
tle  was  completed  across  the  river  and  rock  dumped  there¬ 
in  haa  raised  the  water  surface  two  feet,  and  the  water 
in  the  intake  stood  above  the  tops  of  the  headgates, 
giving  a  flow  down  the  canal  of  1700  second  feet." 

ihe  Absjas  is  now  an  open  well-defined  channol 
at  least  to  a  point  some  miles  below  Campo  Lino,  but  its 
character  below  that  point  is  r.ot  known  with  certainty. 

It  is  reported  that  between  Campo  Lino  and  Volcano  Lake  the 
water  spreads  out  over  broad  mud  deposits  and  that  the 
Abe j as  loses  the  c  Cter  of  a  well-defined  channel.  Such  a 
condition  is  recognized  as  possible  and  it  may  be  some  years 
before  the  water  will  take  a  clearly  defined  route  to  an 
outfall  either  into  the  Volcano  Lake  or  into  the  Hardy 
Colorado  * 


a  raoi'l  wet  u-n  dor  i  h&o  ua  tMO 

i 

«f#  ?4t  anitettwi  'is  *<*«  »■  ^W*;- 

,'iac  r.  a.  ii  '  ■'■'■' 

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•  :a  dfr?  §1  nr;-ci  ^  - 

.  .  |||  :»»  e<  : 

•  *%■.!.:  ■  tfil  '":•*•  *  X  O 

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,  :■:■■  • 

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, 

> 

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>n J  X  •  AC..--  •  VQ  J ,  •:•  Ji-i-  :•'  V'^-  > 

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wtm%  m.m  co  %m  U  bttr>  *  f  *  •-  .I:-;-.,  0©  ■■-•  ■*  noiX 

no  'Ca'  pJ iw i 

■  ■  ■ 

*  ;v  :iC  ;  - 


* 


The  water  delivered  inland  by  the  Abejas  into  the  region 
of  Volcano  Lake  for  exceeds  the  amount  that  reached  the  lake 
under  former  conditions.  Consequently  the  lake  is  filled 
by  the  river’s  summer  flow  to  higher  stages  than  formerly. 

The  levee  at  the  north  of  the  lake  and  the  dam  across 
Hew  river  prevent  this  water  from  flowing  north  into  the 
;  Imperial  Valley. 

All  of  it  at  present  finds  its  way  ultimately  to  the 
Gulf  by  v.ay  of  the  Hardy  Colorado. 

At  high  stages  the  water  brought  into  the  vicinity 

‘  % 

of  Campo  lino  by  the  Abejas,  inundates  large  areas  in  that 
section  sure. ding  out  in  the  lowest  places  as  far  northerly 
as  the  California  Development  Company’s  levee.  It  is  under¬ 
stood  that  neither  the  high  water  of  1909  nor  that  of  1910 
overtopped  the  banks  of  the  P&redones  in  the  gao  of  10  miles 
between  the  levees  on  the  so-called  height  of  land.  The 
first  and  immediate  effect  of  the  recent  change  in  the  course 
of  the  Colorado  was  to  lower  the  high  water  stage  of  the  riv¬ 
er  atpoints  upstream  from  the  head  of  the  Abejas  and  to  in¬ 
crease  flood  heights  in  those  portions  of  the  delta  reached 
by  the  waters  of  this  channel.  Here  for  some  time  as  the 
warping  up  of  the  country  by  the  deposit  of  silt  progresses 
the  flood  stages  will  become  higher.  The  Ahejas  if  allowed 
to  carry  the  river  water  unchooked  will  build  up  a  ridge 
and  will  send  water  from  this  ridge  both  northerly  and 
southerly.  That  flowing  to  the  north  will  be  a  menace  to 
ill  interests  along  the  Lower  Colorado  P.iver  and  as  time  runs 


az.-o-:  !.[-■  o.trl  .v  fnt  Jbpxavl  •*,:  *i  ^  >  ri  • 

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cusdt  XBrigi  '  aolt  Tamps  a'zotJtz  *&$  x& 

soots*  n  :>  r.vit  £0*5  oifaj  ©rffr  to  rittotr  arlt  t,i*  a  «>•/.•. £ 
or(t  of/tl  fCtiorr  ^t«ron  jae**  istaw  pirf*  tnovozq  v.-vit 

*^sX£6?  Ulvc-q  •  I 

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-  '  0  i' ',;  :■  vit;:,--  •  •  '•  .  g  *r£  ,y  J  ■;:I-., 

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on  will  require  higher  and  higher  embankments  to  prevent  its 
reaching  the  country  now  sloping  toward  the  Imperial  Valley* 
3ut  as  the  area  now  low  and  to  be  filled  with  river  deposit 
is  vast  as  compared  with  the  annual  amount  of  silt  curried 
by  the  river ,  it  must  be  regarded  as  a  feasible  project  to 
prevent  the  undue  northerly  extension  of  the  overflow  area 
by  artificial  embankments.  However,  if  a  comprehensive 
uroject  includes  a  line  of  levee  from  some  point  on  the  Colo¬ 
rado  river  across  the  valley  to  the  base  of  the  Cooopah 
mountains,  the  project  must  also  provide  for  the  mainten¬ 
ance  of  this  levee  because  as  new  areas  of  the  delta  are 
raised  by  the  silt  deposits  the  flood  waters  will  be  defli  ct— 
ed  in  new  directions  and  new  high  water  stages  will  be  at¬ 
tained  that  will  make  it  necessary  to  add  to  or  to  supple¬ 
ment  the  levee  from  time  to  time. 

The  new  c  annel  of  the  Colorado  river  below  the  point 
of  separation  from  the  river’s  old  channel  is  somewhat  low¬ 
er  than  the  old  channel  and  its  course  is  into  and  through 
a  relatively  low  portion  of  the  delta. 

It  must  therefore  be  assumed  that  in  consequence  of 
the  lower  low  water  stages  in  this  new  section  of  the  river, 
there  will  be  some  grade  recession  upstream  from  the  head 
of  the  Abejas.  The  topographic  and  hydrographic  informa¬ 
tion  relating  to  the  region  through  which  the  Abejas  takes 
its  course  is  not  sufficiently  definite  to  enable  the  con¬ 
ference  to  agree  upon  the  amount  of  depression  of  high  and 
low  water  that  will  nrobably  result  from  this  grade  reces- 


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3 


6108  *■  thC  °f  th°  -  at  the  Laguna  Dam, 

believed  th6t  tho  ®rtt4e  recession  will  bring 

vttion  of  the  gate  sills  at  the  head  of  the  * 

“*B  neua  °i  the  Imperial  Canal. 

ough  it  seers  probable  that  it  will  in  some  measure  inter- 
ere  with  the  diversion  of  adequate  amounts  of  water  into 
«  canal  at  the  river's  lo,  stages,  n.-rtieularly  under  con- 

118  "  th6y  h8Ve  **«**•*  ^ring  the  last  few  years 
-reover  as  soon  as  the  maximum  depression  is  reached,  which 

probably  be  within  one  or  two  seasons,  the  river  will 
*3  t  has  in  the  past  again  build  up  its  bed  and  gradually 
restore  the  low  water  and  flood  elevations  of  the  past. 

\l  "  "  &b°Ut  6  «*"•  3  diverting  dam 

[fits  been  constructed  by  the  n  <a  *r 

».  lzi:  :  rr  --  — 

l»e»  «  f..t  „a  *“ 

*  loth  ends  against  granite 

oea-rook.  The  foundation  of  the  &.-m  w 

un  oi  the  dan  between  its  bed-rook 

r0"'1  ri”'  ■u*-  a„p„„. 

*i*  i°*  ***"  •*  **»  «•»  «. 

regarded  as  a  menaoe  to  its  stability. 

n»  T'6f’,ns  a.  «*  m.„<  „„  ....  m 

=d  there  have  been  expended  on  the  y™.  .  4 

L,  ,,  1  ^  irrigation  project 

ng  the  cost  of  the  dam  about  i 4,161.000. 

A  permanent  change  of  the  course  of  Colorado  from 
outfall  into  the  Gulf  to  a  discharge  into  Sal ton  Basin  would 


i£t-;  notes? -sot  odf  -torfd*  J»i  tolled-  toa  el  II 

.©i>  j'  -oa.vyr?  edl  ©1  ©tlup  uoe «*■«  i©  wcl  •dt 

f  £  jj.j  i  ",  '■,  ■'•■  j  8  Cl  ’■.  0  Xrk: '  /:  i>  rf t  ■'•*•  2i  £ .  ;  :U  9  t'-'*-  •  '»  '  1 

— -r  .  '  'Is'-;  ;  . 

otai  to  a  taxi  ©a*#  •!&#£©$*  to  K&jttrr  t>vll  ♦d-  dtfcv  net 

~  t&bttp  xltaluol jhb&g  «ec<j,-'  • 

, 

,  t  0C  ■ 

XX  in  t  >if It  &dt  ,8J!ioae©3  owl  to  #«c  nldliw  ©<f  V  II 

' 

,la«q  to  aaollBvsXo  loo XI  Att*  wo  mit  '■  xotaeT 

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aao-tOis  eolrotfi  flolJ  .malo#*!  .  :  *4*  x*  teHvrtmto  mi 

taoTc  a  g  <t  raali  nwtc-jaT  •dt  $tf  rcrwert  au  ®Xdi  ,10? I:t  o&itoXoQ 
©llcwnr$  tattla#*  ®Aur.  :■•'■:,■!  T  •»  3tevz  '  v.  J  •'  • •  •  to  d  •  W 

[«  :  ’ 

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ffiCT"  oi:~>TOloc  to  oviTO.'O  ^ <1  to  o^rit’.-'o  lndcramtof  l. 


tie  ruinous  to  all  property  interests  in  the  Imperial  and 
Coachella  valleys.  It  might  compel  an  abandonment  of  the 
Yuma  irrigation  project, and  might  make  impossible  the  irri¬ 
gation  o.  some  400,000  acres  of  land  flanking  the  Colorado 
river  at  various  points  above  Yuma,  which  under  natural  con- 
jl  ditions  v ill  some  time  be  brought  under  irrigation.  Such  a 
change  of  oourse  would  prove  ruinous  to  the  delta  lands  of 
the  Colorado  river  in  Lower  California.  Some  of  these 
lands  are  now  under  irrigation  with  water  from  the  Imperial 
Canal  while  the  main  1  ody  thereof  is  used  for  grazing  pur¬ 
poses. 

There  are  about  800,000  acres  of  land  in  the  delta 
of  the  Colorado  river  within  Mexico.  About  22,000  acres  of 
this  land  were  under  cultivation  by  irrigation  in  1910. 

In  the  Imperial  Valley  in  1910  there  were  farmed  and 
actually  irrigated  202,000  acres  of  land. 

In  the  Coachella  Valley  northerly  from  the  Salton 
Sea  about  10,000  acres  of  land  are  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation. 

The  population  of  Imperial  Valley  and  of  the  Coachella 
Valley  is  estimated  at  more  than  15,000. 

The  following  villages  and  towns  are  within  the  area 
that  v. ould  ultimately  be  flooded  if  Colorado  river  is  ever 
allowed  to  take  a  permanent  course  into  the  Salton  Basin. 


Calexico  with 

a 

population 

of  797 

ill  Centro  " 

n 

1610 

Boltville  * 

r» 

n 

729 

Imperial  " 

n 

Tt 

1267 

!  afrae'  •• 

’to  tiro amoMis  i.o  n*  X^oiaoo  XKgxn  i  .avails  7  olioc;  >3o0  ■*' 
~  •  ■  4  f  . 

t 

•noo  JV  Ti.;.  ;•'  Tr?  .-a  ooXXtf  r;YtK;.:s  .ftitaioc  atro  ‘  T  5  V  t;  •■•■•'.;; 

:h  r.oir  *nol  *$J&nx/  J/^irc'rd  atf  o^Jtt '  taros  Iliw  enoiJtJb 

to  ato  I  />  X ::  >  oif t  o$  9lyoftx.ot  syo  J&Iirow  eetx/oo  to 

•  ■ . . .  ’  •  re  a  i  v  x  •■:.■■•.• 

Xstts$*l  y:,t  wx*  to  taw  aolta8JtT»j:  t*i>mr  we  a  oi*  rXaBl 

~  :  tCft  fiW«JET  8Jt  t  C  J  '  •  £  . ; 


♦  Cl  Qj  W  1 


«#Xefc  Oiix  ai  Jbn«I  to  aeioa  C,  ’  , o-t;  stdxCf 

f  •  .  ! 

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ao$£H  tyfi&  neo-xt  tob  ^IIsrioaoD  ori*  ctl 


.noX.t:>vXMr;e 

S' 

-I-too.  0  0  *A-$  to  bn  •  \pll3?  to  aoX4  Ir/^oq  oat  1| 

t  1  -  :'  •• ;;  :  •' 
ii-  err>;o;i  hr. ,  ssr  yiXItr  gal  o I  ;  /  -irCI 

t 'Y  «Yi  eji&xolac  :J  hvZocll  >•  r  fsihv  ;  ;u  .jT.ro:' 

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X  X.  ■  X 


II 


23 

be  ruinous  to  all  property  interests  in  the  Imperial  s^nd 

If 

Coachella  valleys.  It  might  ^ortoel  an  abandonment  of  the 
•.“6  itlrlfat.  ion  -roroct,.  r!  might  tank*  lr^G®eible  the  irri¬ 
gation  o  some  4  ,  '  0  ©ores  of  land  flanking  the  Colorado 

I  river  dt  v rir  1  one  pointe  above  Yuma,  which  under  natural  con¬ 
ditions  i  ill  so: se  time  he  brought  under  irrigation,  "uch  a 
c.  ar.ge  of  oourco  would  prove  ruinous  to  the  delta  lands  of 
the  Colorado  river  in  lower  California.  Some  of  these 
lands  arc  now  under  irrigation  with  water  from  the  Imperial 
Car l  1  while  the  main  ody  thereof  is  used  for  grazing  rurr 
poses. 

There  are  about  800,000  acres  of  Icmd  in  the  delta 
of  the  Colorado  river  within  Mexico.  About  22,000  acres  of 
this  land  were  under  cultivation  by  irrigation  in  1910. 

In  the  Imperial  Valley  in  1910  there  were  farmed  and 

\ 

actually  irrigated  807,000  across  of  land. 

In  the  Coachelle  Valley  northerly  from  the  ralton 
can  about  lo,  H  aorce  of  land  are  under  a  high  state  of 

cultivation. 

The  population  of  Imperial  Valley  and  of  the  Coachella 
Valley  is  estimated  at  more  th*%n  13,000* 

T)iq  following  villages  and  towns  fere  within  the  area 
th  t  would  ultimately  be  flooded  if  Colorado  river  is  ever 
allowed  to  tike  a  permanent  course  into  the  alton  Hr  sin. 

Calexico  with  a  copulation  of  797 
m  El  Centro  **  H  "  1610 

|  Hoi  tv ill©  ”  «  *  729 

Imperial  "  ”  "  1267 


' 

. 

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24 

Brawl ey  with  a  nopul  .tion  of  661, 
also  Sober,  igsbce,  Mecca,  herrul,  Coachella  and  Indio' 
W’^ose  population  is  included  in  the  general  statement  relat¬ 
ing  to  the  entire  population  of  the  Saxton  Basin. 

The  total  area  within  the  United  States  that  would 
ultimately  he  su  merged  if  the  Colorado  river  discharged  in¬ 
land  would  be  nearly  1900  square  miles  or  about  l,x  ,00 
acres. 

The  rainfall  in  this  re  ion  is  only  2  to  3  inches 
per  year.  Without  irrigation  it  would  be  an  absolute  des¬ 
ert.  Kxceut  near  Boltville  all  of  Imperial  Valley  is  also 
de  endent  u<on  the  1  periul  Canal  system  for  water  for  do¬ 
mestic  use.  Hear  Boltville  some  potable  water  is  obtained 
from  rtesian  wells. 

Any  scheme  of  river  treatment  which  involves  not  only 
the  holding  of  the  Colorado  on  its  original  course  to  tho 
Gulf,  but  also  the?  prevention  of  overhank  flow,  by  the  con¬ 
struction  and  maintenance  of  levees,  would  for  a  time  at 

least  cause  higher  river  stages  for  the  same  volumes  of 

♦ 

flood  flow  than  have  occurred  in  the  past  under  natural 

conditions  of  almost  general  bank  submersion.  Consequently, 

such  treatment  would  result  in  at  least  a  temporary  greater 

menace  to  the  iefensive  works  now  effective  southward  from 

'ilot-  nob,  than  v ould  otherwise  result. 

Fuller  investigations  than  have  yet  been  made  should 

precede  the  adoption  of  any  such  treatment  or  of  any  modifies- 

•  , 

tion  of  such  treatment  having  in  view  only  minor  changes  of 
alignment  and  outfall  modifications. 


,  i  Clot  '  ll'CiOr:  if  rf  iw  ^€- i.  *«>•-:  Tr: 


* 

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.  .aoios 

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« 'v-'*'  •  :■  ■  f  ■  1  :•  ■  i  ■  ■■  tl-- 


Any  depression  of  the  river  bed  throughout  that  part 
of  Colora  o  river  from  •’ilot-Knob  southerly  to  the  south 
boundary  line  of  Arisona  will  be  0f  direct  benefit  to  the 
croteotion  works  which  now  prevent  the  river  from  going  down 
,  the  Alamo  into  ^aiton  Basin.  The  greatest  menace  to  thet:e 
[  wor*8  unier  conditions  as  they  have  prevailed  since  they 
were  complet'd  is  the  unstable  river  bank*  The  menace  be- 
oomes  small  if  the  flood  stages  can  be  kept  below  bank  height 

it  increases  rapidly  as  flood  depth  on  the  river  bank  is  in¬ 
creased* 

■  The  advantage  which  results  from  a  depression  of  water 

suifeoe  particularly  at  flood  sti.ge  in  that  part  of  the  Colo¬ 
rado  river  for  some  miles  'alow  lilot-Knob  is  in  sore  measure 
offset  by  the  increased  difficulty  of  supplying  an  ade¬ 
quate  flov.  of  water  to  imperial  o final;  also,  by  the  increased 
.  difficulty  of  supplying  water  to  lands  now  irrigated  main- 
ly  by  pumping  in  i-ona  below  Tuma;  also,  by  the  resulting 
men..ce  to  the  stability  of  the  laguna  dam. 

.  urveys  covering  some  05  miles  of  the  Colorado  river, 
above  ana  bolowthe  break,  and  also  several  miles  of  the  Abejas 
river  were  made  in  August  and  September,  1910,  under  Mr.  Ook- 
erson*s  direction. 

**  examination  v  as  also  made  of  Volcano  Lake  region, 

&ew  river,  Alamo  and  Hardy  rivers  extending  down  the  latter 
river  to  its  Junction  with  the  Colorado. 

i  •  As  a  result  of  these  investigations  and  a  careful  study 
of  the  physical  situation  a  project  was  developed  providing 
for  the  closure  of  the  Abejas  river  by  means  of  a  rook  fill 


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|  dam  to  divert  the  „ater  to  the  Colorado,  and  about  2S  niles 
i  of  levee  along  the  west  tank  of  the  Colorado  river  about 
2,  o  feet  from  Its  westerly  bends. 

K  ThlG  pr0^cct  w&s  approved  by  the  President,  the  ; core- 

■  tery  of  the  Interior  and.  the  Commissi oner  appointed  by  the 

■  Mexican  Government  to  pass  on  the  work. 

I  AS  the  Promoted  work  is  located  in  Mexican  territory, 

I  it  booms  necessary  to  secure  the  consent  of  the  Mexican 
Government  before  active  operations  could  begin.  As  finally 

■  agreed  upon  the  terns  provided  that  the  work  should  he  done 

by  a  Mexican  corporation  and  the  Colorado  "Ivor  hand  Company, 
owners  of  the  land  on  which  the  proposed  improv  t  is  lc- 

otted,  agreed  to  the  use  of  its  charter  rights  and  powers 

W  to  carry  out  the  project,  the  coot  thereof  to  be  met  by 
the  United  tatea. 

While  the  project  was  submitted  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Interior  on  October  4,  1910,  with  a  view  to  completing  the 
works  before  the  advent  of  high  water  the  di donatio  agree¬ 
ment  was  not  consummated  until  early  in  January,  1911. 
f  By  this  time  the  low  water  season  had  passed  and  it  was 
fully  realised  that  the  prosecution  of  the  work  in  the  face 
Of  inevitable  flood  conditions  would  greatly  increase  the 
tifficulty  of  olosing  the  Abejes  and  failure  to  divert  the 
water  t  the  Colorado  was  more  thar.  probable. 

The  problem  was  further  complicated  by  the  political 
situation,  the  scene  of  operations  being  under  the  control 
of  Xneurreotos  wkoce  presence  seriously  disturbed  labor  con¬ 
ditions,  alarmed  the  contractors  on  levee  work,  who  suffered 


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7 


27 

substantial  losses  of  stock,  equipment  and  subsistence  stores 
1  through  their  depredations,  and  repeatedly  interfered  Kith 

the  trtin  servioe  engaged  in  delivering  rook  to  the  Abejas 

dan. 

otive  work  was  begun  early  in  January,  1911,  or  as 
f  soon  as  diplomatic  arrange-  ents  were  oonoluded.  some  71- 
miles  of  railway  were  built  from  a  point  on  the  railway 
lino  of  the  California  Development  Company  IB  miles  below 
H&nlons  Heading  to  the  Abejas  river.  The  levee  line  was 
|  constructed  some  24.6  miles  long,  beginning  11  miles  below 
Hanlons  Heading  thence  extending  southward  along  the  west 
bank  of  the  Colorado  river  at  a  distanoe  of  about  3,000 
feet  from  the  westerly  bends,  «nd  term, inating  at  a  roint 
about  20  miles  above  tide  water. 

f;  ?lie  oona*ructlon  of  the  levee  required  some  613  acres 

of  clearing  and  grubbing,  and  1,277,984  oubio  yards  of  earth 
work,  1,300  t;;en  and  2,100  animals  were  employed.  The  work 
was  completed  April  1,  1911,  at  a  total  cost  of  {4:2,424,76. 

The  oustoms  duties,  payment  of  which  are  still  rending,  es¬ 
timated  at  £20,000,  should  he  added  to  above  oost  if  not  re- 
mitt ed. 

The  construction  of  the  dam  across  the  Abejas  river 
was  begun  on  January  21,  1911,  when  the  track  laying  reached 
the  river  and  the  last  bent  of  the  trestle  was  driven  on 

February  2  and  the  bed  of  the  stream  was  blanketed  with  rook 

by  February  5, 

The  equipment  of  cure,  locomotives,  steam  shovels  and 
pile  drivers  used  was  hired  from  the  Southern  Pacific  railway 


* 


o 


I 


.  ■ 

-V  -ytfc  •  ,Jhai>xrI oaoc  ®*©w  oi  ■  of  •  b  t..  u:oa 

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■  !■  ■  >  t  X.Y  rot  f  a-"  Olft  fO  • 

2,vv,  *^Cti  t  ®<>f  ®£  OlIT  €».rft  0#  I3*H 

.:.•  J  >{ff  £  I  ,&«<.-•  J.  B”>  i  '■  ■  ^  ©  © '•  £<  A  '  '  '<  C  • 

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4 


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■  >  j  tm, 

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:  •  '  t  9 

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28 

j  Company,  with  the  exception  of  two  small  steam  shovels  and 
some  minor  equipment  which  were  borrowed  from  the  United 
States  Reclamation  Service. 

A  succession  of  moderate  floods  resulted  in  several 
|  breaks  as  the  work  progressed  qnd  greatly  increased  the  cost 
of  closure,  but  the  dam  some  1,500  feet  long  and  a  top  width 
of  20  feet  was  finally  completed  on  15,  1911.  In  fact, 

ell  of  the  projected  *ork  was  completed  as  planned,  except 
the  levee  protection. 

®  -he  natural  hanks  of  the  Abejas,  at  the  south  end  of 

the  dam,  have  an  elevation  of  6£  feet  above  sea  level,  end 
as  the  project  was  based  on  the  supposition  that  the  closure 
£  would  be  made  at  low  rater,  it  was  expected  that  the  diver- 

T  B*on  into  tie  Colorado  would  be  made  without  overtopping 
the  banks. 

®  vater  did  flow  down  the  Colorado  for  several  weeks 

but  erosion  of  the  bed  did  not  kee  >  pace  with  the  increasing 
Wrolume  and  the  water  impounded  by  the  dam  rose  to  such  height 
iff*®  overflow  the  banks  and  following  down  along  the  new 
unprotected  levee  soon  began  ite  destructive  work,  and  fin¬ 
ally  finding  its  way  into  the  Fesoadero  and  down  the  Hardy* 
In  the  meantime,  practically  the  entire  flow  down  the  Abej&s 
river  had  been  cut  off  by  the  dam. 

The  river  continued  to  rise  and  a  break  through  the 
levee  at  the  south  end  of  the  dam  partially  restored  the 
flow  to  the  Abo j as  channel  and  lowered  the  pool  above  the 
dam  causing  violent  eddy  action  along  levee  north  of  the  dam 
resulting  in  another  break  which  now  carries  the  whole  volume 


I  tl  il  !>  ::N' it  ?• VOTXO 


r.toM  ,  tc.^umoO 

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: 

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•*&Xt  to*  ,  aftow  a  v  Jt  •  ••..  ;•  ;  -  0 r -f  •  *  ■  • 

r 

H 

e  ,0'  >:  t  mob  0 :  •  v .  '  0  -  ’  J  •'  i  rf  „  '  1  ifl.  .v  •  *  nt 

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orft  d^aoiAt  a {box?  a  An©  ©ott  ot  fane:  it, ir.-  -  ■•f,  o.'T 

ft  Oto  T  ,/  ;t  ■  r  .ip  ft'  r  c:.  XiVi  .•  .t  •(•..  t  *.  •'•>/ 

ftri"  OVO  f#  X  c«  0:frf  m&r/ai  j>. Xerro;  :•»  Ol.'t  OX  '  ri 

sa  &x.r  ;  0  .istG-:.  0  'fi>  ]r  <  t  .to  xto^  yX /.  titoi  ot.fr  /iai ao  •'  -;- 

.  • 


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of  the  river. 

The  et&tue  of  the  work  at  the  present  time  shows  some 
six  or  seven  mil*  a  of  levee  destroyed  and  the  water  again 
flowing  down  the  Abekas  river. 

The  damage  to  the  projected  work,  based  on  the  cost 
thereof,  as  near  -c  oan  be  ascertained  before  the  reoeasion 
of  the  floods,  is  about  £358, 950.1^. 

The  value  of  the  work  still  remaining  based  on  the  cost 
of  construction  is  about  £481*049.6 8. 

a. he  work  which  has  been  executed  has  been  in  accordance 
with  good  engineering  practice,  and  the  faot  that  the  res¬ 
toration  of  the  Colorado  Biver  to  its  former  channel  is  not 

accomplished  is  chargeable  to  matter,  beyond  the  control  of 

the  engineers. 

-°IA  to  be  done:  Under  the  existing  situation  the 
blrst  work  to  be  under  t  ale  cn,  if  adequate  funds  are  available, 

V  \  \ 

is  the  ra  sing  and  et lengthening  of  the  levees  north  of 
Volcano  l  ake  in  Mexico  A  These  are  vital  for  the  Vroteotion 
of  the  lands  and  proper ty\in  the  iTfiperi&l  Valley. 

xisping  levees  also  along  the  west  bank  of  Colorado 
river  should  be  repaired,  protected,  and  maintained  to\he 
Abe  Jus ,  ard^the  banks  of  the  Aj.ver  revetted  in  places  where 


there  appe&rik  to  be  danger  of  c&yihg  banks  permitting  the 
river  to  rcachVhe  levtat.  This  work  must  be  continually 


1  watched,  &r:d  f* s c i  1 1 1 i e s  v  r o v ,  to 0 e t ]h e r  w i  1 1  a  1  * .. r ^ c 

contingent  fund,  for  immediate  action  in  case  of  sudden  flood 

or  other  emergency. 


*dt  t4  $'*Ci4  bdt  ■  r)  •*  'h  .  (•; 

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, 

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^  ,  /  IS  ,T  T  . ■.!'  *•  0 


December  26,  19X0  -  Contractors'  outfit 
waiting  to  enter  Mexico,  Yuma,  Arizona, 


—  J I  I 


|  ! 


ill 


December  25,  1910  -  Colorado  river  bank 
above  Yuma,  Arizona. 


-U! 


a  1 


January  25,  1911  -  First  root  to  reach 
Abejes  river  dump. 


January  24,  1911 
course 


-  Abe  jas  river  trestle 
of  construction. 


^Kvards9^1?!1  I  Mexican  custom-house 
guards  at  Algodones,  after  hearing: 

ne.vs  of  attack  on  Mexicali,  B,  C. 


January  30,  1911  -  Mexican  custom-house 
guards  and  rurales  eating  breakfast. 


f  •;  v.  . 


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. 


January  28,  1911  -  Railroad  cut  on  Southern 
Pacific  line  before  blasting* 


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January  29,  1911  -  After  blasting. 


/ 


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February  8  1911  -  Blasting  rock  too  large 

to  pass  through  doors  of  battleship  cars 


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February  8,  1911  -  left  bank  Abejas  river 

above  trestle. 


) 


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fk 


February  7,  1911  -  Break  in  Abekas  river 
trestle  on  account  of  flood. 


as- 


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the  mm 

OF  THE 

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if 


April  16,  1911  -  Camp  of  Eighth  Battalion, 
Mexican,  Ahejas  river,  under  command 
of  Colonel  Miguel  Mayol. 


April  16,' 1911  -  Camp  of  Eighth  Battalion, 
Mexican,  Ahejas  river. 


April  19, 


1911  -  Condition  of  Abejas  river 
closure. 


<3,  1911  -  Abejas  river  rock  fill  dam 
20  feet  wide  on  top.  Elevation  95 
feet  above  sea  level. 


‘ 


Llay  13,  1911  -  Downstream  side  of  Abekas 
river  dam,  showing*  eroded  sand  har. 


llay  13,  1911  -  Rock  fill  carried  300  feet 
"below  Ahejas  river  dam. 


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